Apprentice
by MdivaC
Summary: Hagi/OC. Just a story about me and Hagi. Nothing special. Multi-chapter. Rated M for language.
1. Chapter 1

The notes drifted from the cello in his professional hands, the music it's created sounding more beautiful then anything she'd ever heard. She stood a few feet away, gawking at the gorgeous man seated on the bench atop the hill. His eyes were closed, one of his hands bandaged and his silk black was hair falling over his shoulders, loose. She'd come here day after day, night after night, looking for him. And every time, he was there, playing; a different song each time. She had been observing him for quite some time, but never had the courage to go up to him and say anything. Hell, she didn't even know his name. Nor did he knows hers, for that matter. But today was different. She would march right up to him, look him dead in the eye and say "Hello," and hopefully get through the greeting with ease. _Hopefully. _ So, she waits. Not long, for he's there a moment later. (She realized he comes at certain times, leaves at certain times, and comes back at certain times. She was embarrassed that she'd memorized his odd schedule.) He sits, pulling his cello out of the case. He stares at the sky for a moment – another thing she realized he frequently did – before silently staring down at the instrument. She takes in a deep breath, and her feet are moving before her mind processes anything. She stands behind him, her mouth open but no words coming out. His eyes opened and drifted up to her. Curiosity gleamed in his dark eyes.

"Hello." He said, his deep voice sending shivers down her spine.

"H-Hello." She stuttered, cheeks heating up. _Oh, God, I can't do this. _ "I-I'm, uh...Mi-Michelle." A small smile cracked on his face. _Oh, dear Lord._

"My name is Hagi. It's nice to meet you, Michelle." He murmured, dropping his gaze back to the cello. "Do you watch me play often?" She jumped, heart skipping a beat.

"Oh, uh," She laughed awkwardly. "Only-only sometimes. B-Because, you're really good, and uh.." The music starts, silencing her.

"I've seen you." He says softly. "Every day."

"Oh, uh, really?" She mentally smacked herself.

"Really." He pauses. "You're not that hard to miss." She's not sure how to reply. "Not many people here have blond hair, I mean."

"Oh!" She exclaimed. "Oh, uh, yeah. I noticed that." She cleared her throat, kicking some dirt on the ground. The music stops.

"Do you know how to play?" Her face grew a deep scarlet. Oh, she knew. She'd learned only because she thought it would impress him if they ever met.

"A-A little." She squeaked. His eyes sparkled up at her.

"You don't have to be nervous." Her heart fluttered, rising to her throat. "Here, sit." He rose, towering over her. She gaped for a second before shuffling into the spot. She grasped his cello carefully, marveling it.

"It's beautiful." She said softly.

"Yes." He replied, leaning down in front of her, now at eye level. She stuttered, blushing. "Relax." He whispered, taking her hand in his and moving it to the correct place on the instrument. _I think my heart just stopped. Gee, that's a good impression, fainting when we first meet. _ She cursed herself. "This is A." He snapped her back to reality.

"I-I know." His eyebrow rose slightly.

"Ah." He nodded. "Play something for me." She nodded, face flushed and looked down, thoughtful. Oh, playing something he usually plays would be impressive, wouldn't it? Or, would he think it was weird? After a moment, she began to play _Bach's 5th Suite Prelude, _although it wasn't as perfectly executed as his playing had been. As she finished, she kept her eyes glued to the ground, the pebble now more interesting then anything else. "Michelle." He said gently.

"Hum?" She peeked up. He was staring. "I-I, uh.." His hand was on her cheek the next second, caressing it.

"Hm." He mumbled, thoughtfully.

"H-Hagi? Is something wrong?" She asked. The instrument disappeared in a flash, her now leaning in front of him on the ground and his arms around her. She froze, arms snapped at her sides.

"You're wonderful." He murmured in her ear. And then, he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Her heels tapped on the sidewalk as she hummed to herself. The girl, Michelle, couldn't stop thinking of Hagi.

_But it's been 3 days._ Her mind forced the truth into her head. _And he's still not back._

_Come on, he's **way** too good to be with you._ One of the several voices inside her mind said.

She stopped walking, clutched the sides of her white/blond hair.

"No, he'll come back," she whispered in her innocent light voice, very different from the voices in her head. "He has to."

She looked down at her black Gothic Lolita dress and 4-inch heel combat boots.

"Hmm," she breathed, combing her black ribbons back in place. "He'll come back," she said as she continued to walk down the sidewalk of the Japanese town. "I'll go back to the place we met..."

As her feet carried her, she hummed the tune of his song.

When she finally made it to the place, she saw a chair at the top of the hill, but no Hagi.

_Darn._ She frowned. _But God my feet hurt! I need a break._

She walked up the hill and plopped down on the chair. She leaned back in the chair and stared into the sunset.

"You couldn't play a simple scale with _that_ posture," A familiar voice said.

She immediately went on alert and looked around.

"Hagi," she couldn't help but smile widely at his gorgeous face in the sunset.

He smiled slightly at her dopey grin, then handed her his cello.

"The song?" she asked, preparing her fingers to play by tapping them against the strings like a kid playing.

Hagi nodded his head slightly, folded his arms and studied as she played.

By the time she finished the song, it was almost completely dark.

_Never realized how long that song was. _She thought, trying to breathe easy.

"You're good," Hagi said, walking towards her, making her heart beat fast. "How long have you been playing?"

"A-about 2 years," she said, starting to blush. "What about you?"

Her question made him stop in his tracks.

He looked down at his case. "A long time," he stated.

She tilted her head and wondered if it was something she said. "Oh..."

A cold wind blew making her shiver slightly.

Hagi looked back towards her, and his eyes became somewhat wider when he realized she wasn't wearing sleeves.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

"A little," she yawned with a cat-like squeak. "I usually prefer being cold, but when I'm tired it bothers me."

He nodded and walked over towards her, making her goosebumps worsen. He offered his hand to her, confusing her.

"Oh," she laughed. "the cello."

She handed him the cello and he quickly put it away.

She giggled to herself over the stupid misunderstanding and stared into the dark sky.

"Do you have a name for yours?" she asked, stretching.

"Hm?" he asked, locking his case closed.

"Your cello," she said. "I named mine Fred, after my old singing teacher who helped me get it... before he left."

"No," Hagi said, standing his case up. "I never considered it before."

"Hm," she immediately stood up. "you should."

As Hagi began walking away, Michelle grabbed his hand before he could leave.

"When am I going to see you again?" she asked, feeling like an old movie cliche.

"When do you want to?" he asked simply.

"Oh, I dunno," she began. He caught her off guard. "T-tomorrow?"

"Then, I'll see you tomorrow," Hagi said, picking up her hand just long enough to kiss it, then disappeared.

_Damn him and his mysteriousness._ Her mind growled. _Still, I guess I'll see him tomorrow._

Then she, with her new found hope, went strolling into the darkness.

When she made it to the street, she was immediately grabbed by someone behind a building.

"Who the fuck-?" she asked in a haze. She couldn't help but to cuss out of confusion, lacking better words.

Strong hands grabbed her throat and a foreign voice screamed at her.

"I don't know what you're saying!" she gasped.

The voice got louder and the choke got tighter. She couldn't stay conscious at this rate.

"Hagi!" she yelled out desperately.

It was only a moment later the hands on her throat were gone, dropping her to her knees and ripping her stockings. In a haze of darkness and confusion, she struggled to her feet and stumbled into the street.

Car horns blared and bright lights blinded her.

_Oh God, help me._ Her mind prayed weakly as she fell to her knees and helplessly covered her head.

A loud crash and something metal hitting her skull was the last thing she remembered until everything went dark.

* * *

She opened her eyes in horrific awakening to the shock she was in a bright room.

"What the hell?" she said, slowly getting up, realizing there was something cold on her head that was blocking out the irritating pain. "Ah! Damn it, damn it, bloody hell, fuck!"

Her eyes snapped shut and she focused on the pain stopping.

When she opened her eyes she realized she was in her apartment.

_But why's it look so different?_

She realized the curtains were open. Her dark curtains were open for ONCE. But who did it?

"Hello?" she called out. "Is someone there?"

She closed her eyes and growled.

_Come on, lazy, you have to get up eventually._ Her mind urged.

_Aren't you the one who said Hagi wasn't coming back?_ She responded to it, just as she realized--

"Hagi!" she exclaimed, slamming herself upright. "Ow, damn it!" she yelled, grabbing her head and falling back.

She grabbed the ice melting on her pillow, held it to her head and got out of bed.

The first thing she noticed was her horrible appearance in her giant mirror.

_Oh shit,_ she thought, walking towards her reflection.

Her hair was a mess, her makeup smeared across her face and her nightgown was twisted up--

_**NIGHTGOWN**? I wasn't wearing this when I fell asleep..._

She grabbed the thin black gown and fixed it before leaving the room.

Her eyes were wide as she stalked around the corner of her hallway.

"Is someone there?" she asked nervously as she tip-toed in her black slippers.

_Wait, what am I doing? This is **my** house, after all._

She dropped her tensity and entered the room.

No one was there but a note on her couch caught her attention. She picked up the note and read out-loud.

"_I'll be on the hill._" She read aloud. "That's it?"

She rolled her eyes and headed back to her bedroom to get dressed. As she passed by the kitchen, she looked at the clock. _9:45_.

_Ew, I'm never awake this early, still..._

She continued walking until something else caught her attention. A note on Fred's case.

She grabbed it and read it silently.

"_Bring Fred if you're feeling well enough. I have a chair for you already._"

"Not like I can say no." she shrugged.

* * *

After she had gotten dressed, this time in a long dress, she pulled her coffin styled cello case onto her back and headed out.

As she walked to the hill, she noticed everyone was staring at her weird - weirder than normal.

_The bump can't be **that** big,_ she thought, rubbing her head.

When she made it to the hill, she was out of breath and nearly fainting but she shrugged off the pain.

"Hagi's waiting," she said, trudging up the hill.

When she made it to the top she found 2 chairs, but no Hagi.

"Guess I'll get started without him," she said, unpacking her cello.

_Ugh, this thing is a piece of crap compared to his,_ she frowned.

"How are you feeling?"

Michelle shrieked, spinning around to see his gorgeous face, almost smiling.

"My head hurts, I'm tired as hell, wondering if I should of took a cab but overall, _bitchin_," she said sarcastically, smirking.

"I'm sorry I couldn't give you pills for the pain, but you were unconscious," he said, gently dropping his case to the ground.

"So it was YOU!" Michelle exclaimed. "Thank God, I thought it was some stalker or something..."

"It was me," Hagi said simply as he pulled his cello out. Michelle was already set up and tuning her strings.

Just then, she noticed something holding back his gorgeous shoulder-length hair.

"Oh," she gawked in awe.

"What is it?" he asked, getting up.

"Your ribbon," she said. "it's my favorite color blue."

"Oh," Hagi said, now sitting in his chair tightening his bow hair.

"It's nice," she said with a smile. "I... I really like your hair."

Hagi stopped what he was doing for a moment, making Michelle feel nervous, then continued on with a microscopic smirk.

"Thank you," he said, releasing Michelle's tension and worry.

"No problem," she said with a smile.

"You have beautiful hair as well," he said, making her heart almost explode. When she stopped breathing he added, "I never had noticed before but it's almost snow white in the light like this."

"Thanks," she said, now with a huge goofy smile.

"Now, are you ready?" Hagi asked. "We can play it together so you can see the places where you go off-key."

Michelle nodded; she understood this direction. Her cello teacher (who she just called "teacher") would do this with her.

As they played deeper and deeper into the song, Michelle found herself losing her place and coming out of tune with the nerves Hagi made her feel.

"Damn it!" she exclaimed, taking her bow off the strings. "I'm so out of tune and you're so much better than me!"

Hagi stopped playing immediately, feeling nostalgic at her words.

Michelle cracked her fingers in frustration.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I just-- UGH I don't know what's wrong with me!"

"Don't," Hagi said, immediately by her side, crouching next to her. This did nothing for her nerves. "You're doing fine, you just need to have more solid shifts here," he got behind her and put his hands on hers.

_Oh my God, _she thought, her heart pounding.

"When you shift into fourth position you need a bigger movement," he moved his hand with hers into the correct version of fourth position from first.

When she could feel her nerves again, she got serious.

"From the top," she said in a serious voice as Hagi sat back down.

He nodded his head and they played.

* * *

"Okay," Michelle stretched and yawned. "I think that's enough cello for me for one night."

Hagi nodded, dropping his bow.

"I wish I could play longer but my fingers are almost falling off," she laughed.

"I understand," Hagi said, forcing himself to remember that even though he didn't have human limitations, she did.

"So what do you wanna do now?" she asked, putting Fred away.

"Hm?" Hagi asked.

"I mean, do you wanna hang out?"

Hagi said, "I suppose."

"Cool," Michelle said with a smile as she zipped her case. "Maybe you could tell me how you became so awesome... at playing, I mean," she felt herself become red.

Hagi smiled slightly at her nervousness and then thought to himself, _Saya, I will not betray you as you sleep. I've found a friend to keep me company in my loneliness without you._

"So, we going or what?" Michelle asked, pulling her cello onto her back.

It only took Hagi a second to put his cello away and pull it onto his back.

"Maybe you could tell me where you also came across that _bitchin _cello case," Michelle said with a smile.

Hagi allowed himself a slight smile as he continued on with his new, but strange, friend.


	3. Chapter 3

Michelle's eye twitched, almost uncontrollably as she tried to comprehend what he had just said.

"So," she began, "what exactly did you DO to the man who attacked me?"

Hagi sighed and put down his tea, once again.

"I stopped him," he said simply.

"Do you mean, kill or...?"

"He isn't dead, he ran off when I turned around to see that car almost hit you. You really _are_ lucky it had crashed before it got to you."

Michelle smiled to herself then said, "God has a plan for me. He wouldn't let a simple thing like that get in my way."

Hagi nodded and put the tea back to his lips.

"You really don't have to drink that if you don't want to. It's pathetically generic. I'm no good with real tea or cooking for that matter," she said.

To Michelle's surprise he didn't stop drinking.

"It's fine," he said.

She nodded in approval to his compliment before getting up to head back towards her kitchen.

When she came back she was holding a long back ribbon.

"Mm?" Hagi wondered out-loud.

"I was wondering," she began, "if you could put my hair back like yours. You see, I've been having a hell of a time trying to put my hair up with a ribbon and I saw how well you did--"

He interrupted her rambling by nodding.

As she put his tea back down, she plopped down on the floor before him with her back to him.

As he combed with his un-bandaged hand, her heart fluttered and she felt herself turn red.

"It's pretty simple," he began, "it's only wrapped around twice, three times at most, then tied in a bow."

As he spoke he demonstrated his teaching on her white hair.

"Okay," she said as she soaked in his teaching, and his comfort.

When she no longer felt his hands in her hair, she knew he was done.

"Done?" she guessed.

"Mmhmm," he said.

She hopped up and headed towards her bedroom.

A loud, alarming squeal came from the room.

"Are you alright?" Hagi asked.

"I love it!" she exclaimed, running back into the room. "Thank you."

He nodded his head. "You're welcome."

"So, Hagi," she began, plopping back down onto the couch next to him. "Where are you from? You're obviously not Japanese."

"Iceland," he said.

"_Iceland_? That's so far away! How'd you get here?"

"It's... a long story."

"Oh," she said, leaning back comfortably.

"May I ask you a question?"

"Huh? Oh, totally. Sure."

"Why are _you_ here?"

The question caught her off-guard.

"Oh, well... to be completely honest, I have no idea! A while back, I got the urge to come move to Okinawa. It felt like God wanted me here. So, I packed up and moved out here for a while. I can't stay too long though. My family and pets are still back in New Yor-- Ohh!" she clutched her head.

"You're still in pain from when that piece of shrapnel knocked you out," Hagi said, getting up.

She nodded as she clutched her head in pain.

When she felt a freshly frozen icepack touch her head, she clung to it as tight as she could.

"Thanks," she said.

After a moment of silence, Michelle spoke.

"You're nice to have around," she said softly. "ever since I got here, I've had no one to talk to or hang out with. It's nice to have someone to relate to, ya know?"

"Michelle," he said softly.

He then looked over to her to see she was now laying down.

"I'll leave you to rest," he whispered.

"No," she mumbled. "don't leave me."

"Hm?" he sat back down.

"D-d-don't go... don't leave... please... pl..." she begged unconsciously.

When he put a hand on her head to calm her, he realized she was shaking.

He knew there were serious issues in her life she hadn't told him, but he figured she'd tell him in her own time. The only thing he could do right now was be there for her, not only for her sake, but for his.

"You're a strange one, Michelle," he spoke softly. "but I agree, it _is_ nice to have someone to relate to. We may even help each others loneliness for the time being."

"Hagi," she breathed as her fingers twitched.

"I'm here."


	4. Chapter 4

When she opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was the darkness of the room. The only thing that illuminated it were the sparsely lit candles.

"Mm?" she yawned as she pulled herself up. "Hagi?"

"Yes?"

She looked over to see he was in the same place he was when she--

"Ah! I totally passed out, didn't I? Ugh, why do I keep doing that! I swear to God, I've passed out at least 20 times with boyfriends- NOT saying that we're dating or anything, I mean that'd be kinda awkward considering we just met the other day. Although, it wouldn't be the first time I rushed into a relationship - and holy shit I need to shut up now before you run away thinking I'm crazy!"

Hagi couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at her nervousness, which sent even more nervousness shivering up her spine.

"You laughed," she said with a smile.

His face went from a part smile back to its usual calm line.

"Gah! And there it went. Come on, it's not as bad as you think, in fact it's better than mine with my shitty teeth."

"It's not my place," he said. "but your teeth are perfectly fine."

"But why don't you like showing emotion? I mean, I'm not a fan of it most of the time but sometimes smiles just slip for me. You're a complete rock when it comes to that..."

When she noticed he was looking away, she stopped.

"I wasn't always emotionless," he said softly. "I guess..."

Flashbacks of all the horrifying things he and his chiropteran queen, Saya, had gone through flashed in his mind.

"I guess I changed."

"I know what you mean," she responded lightheartedly. "I've gone through a lot of changes in my personality, too, through life experiences. Somehow, by the end of it all, I've ended up reverting to having a lighthearted life similar to the childhood I never had, and the personality to match. Or... maybe it's that I don't want to deal with the seriousness of life so I make it a joke so I can cope through it easier..."

She was immediately cut off by a cool hand on her shoulder.

"You think too much," Hagi said bluntly.

Her mouth dropped open for a second, but she ended up laughing and falling onto her back.

"That I do," she admitted.

"Life isn't something you analyze," she began seriously. "it's something you live and experience first-hand. That is why every single day matters."

"Tell me, Hagi, why is today special then? In comparison to, say, yesterday, what is different today that makes it profound?"

He thought for a moment before speaking.

"I've come to know you better today," he said.

"So, what you're saying is that there should be something special about every single day, right?"

"Yes," he responded.

"And to think I've wasted what could've been really _bitchin_ days for no reason," she sighed. "Tell me, Hagi, what time is it?"

Hagi turned in his seat to see the clock behind him.

"12:02am," he said.

"Then," she began to get up. When she got to a sitting upright position, she tackle hugged Hagi, sending them backwards off the couch.

After she stopped laughing, she pulled herself off of him, but only for a moment before a couch cushion hit her back onto his chest.

"What was that for?" he asked, holding back a laugh.

"In case we were to die later today without anything else profoundly different happening in our lives. That was officially our special-thing-of-the-day," she laughed.

Hagi knew she was just having fun with his deep look on life but figured he couldn't fight it, so he allowed himself to grin slightly.

"And," she said, picking herself back up. "because I've been wanting to do that since I first saw you."

When she got up, she fixed her clothes back to the way they were before and held out a hand for Hagi.

Without thinking, he reached and grabbed her hand with his bandaged hand. When she went to to pull him up, she accidentally loosened the bandage, causing it to begin to unravel.

"Hm?" she wondered just as he disappeared to the darkest corner of the room with his back to her as he rewound his hand.

"I'm sorry," she said. "does it hurt?"

"No," he said in a whisper. "I'll be fine."

Just then he finished bandaging his hand and in a second flipped her couch back to its original state.

"I know you want me to stay, but there are things I have to do," he said. "I promise I'll see you tomorrow."

Before Michelle could say anything, he was gone.

"Well." She started. "That was random."


	5. Chapter 5

"Hagi!" Michelle called out as she trudged her way up the hill. "Hagi, where are you?"

"Here," his voice came from behind her as cool as an icy whisper.

"What's up?" she asked, calming her pace as she made it to the top.

When he didn't respond, she stopped and looked around to see him staring blankly into the sky.

"What?" she asked.

"It's going to rain," he said quietly.

She dropped her cello case off her back and leaned against it.

"After ALL that walking," she gasped angrily.

"I know someone you can play for," he said, looking into her eyes.

"Hm? Who?" she asked innocently, putting her cello back on.

Hagi then offered his un-bandaged hand to her, which she willingly took.

"Come with me," he said simply.

"Mkay," she said with a smirk.

* * *

After taking a 10 minute bus ride, Michelle knew they weren't going anywhere familiar.

"So, is this some musical-person... thingy?" she asked as they got off the bus.

Hagi didn't respond but from the side of his face, it looked like he was smiling.

"O_kay_ then," she said, looking around.

The place she was was very simple and comfortable. The kind of place where you could raise a family.

"Where are we?" she asked.

Just then, he stopped walking outside of a pub called Omoros.

"Here," he said, leading the way to the door.

He only knocked on the door once and it opened. He made sure to keep Michelle hidden behind him as he addressed the man inside.

"Hagi?" the man gasped.

"Kai," Hagi said.

"I knew it," he said, choking back tears. "I knew you were still alive."

"Kai?" a small voice said. "Who is this man?"

"This is Hagi," the man said to the child.

"Kai," Hagi said. "I have someone here to meet you."

"Hm?" Kai said as Hagi stepped to the side, exposing the blond girl.

"Uh, hi," she said with a nervous smile.

"Hi," Kai said. He was red-haired and tan, not too much older than Michelle but nowhere near as mature as Hagi. The child to his side was a little girl, about the age of 2, with black hair and dull red eyes.

"This is Michelle," Hagi said. "I've been tutoring her cello playing. She wants to play a song for you."

Just then, Michelle realized how dark the sky was getting and got nervous.

"Sure," Kai said with a smile. "Come on in."

As they walked into the small pub, Michelle noticed another little girl, identical to the other one, only this one had dull blue eyes.

"Here's fine," Hagi said, pulling a chair for her.

Without a word, Michelle unpacked her cello and set up. When finished, she looked to Hagi for when to play. He nodded encouragingly and she began the song.

As she played, the rowdy little girls stopped what they were doing to listen. Kai's eyes began to open widely as he became more pulled into the song and aware of the piece. Hagi looked pleased.

When she finished, she took a deep breath as they clapped for her.

"Wow!" Kai said. "Hagi taught you that?"

"Well, I started it but yeah, Hagi perfected it," she said as she stared adoringly at her tutor.

"You're just like a mini Hagi," Kai said, nodding at the resemblance.

Michelle blushed at the compliment.

"Maybe you two can play for a Saturday night here to get people in," he added.

Michelle stared at Hagi with a hopeful smile.

"I'll do it," she said.

"What about you, Hagi?" Kai asked.

"Why do you think I brought her down here?" he replied coolly.

Michelle giggled and the babies smiled at the positive energy throughout the room.

* * *

"So, why really did you bring me here?" she asked Hagi when they were alone.

Hagi thought deeply before he responded.

"I want to show you something," he said softly. "or some_one_."

Hagi led Michelle out into the cold rain and held the umbrella for her as they walked to a place with what looked like a million stairs.

_Great_, she complained in her mind.

Just then, Hagi knelt down in front of her.

"Get on," he said.

She got on his back and held the umbrella as he climbed the steep cement. When they made it to the top, he let her down gently.

"Where are we?" she asked as they faced what looked like a tomb.

"This is Saya's tomb," he said as he walked into the rain. "this is where my queen sleeps. You see, I'm not like you," he began to unwrap his bandaged hand. "Please don't be alarmed."

The bandages fell, exposing his right hand to be a red demon claw. Michelle said, unafraid;

"There's a lot you have to explain." causing Hagi to nod in agreement, a small smile on his face.


	6. Chapter 6

"So, do you want to begin or what?" Michelle asked as the rain began to let up. They hadn't moved from when they last spoke, although she did stare at his claw more intimately now.

"Saya," he began, "and her twin sister, Diva, are the queen chiropterans. Through them, chiropterans exist."

"What _are_ chiropterans?" she asked.

"They are beasts that live on blood," he said. "they are created from the blood of a queen coming into contact with a human. They are demon-like creatures with incredible abilities to heal and are very strong, but they have no minds of their own. There are three types of chiropteran-like beings. The highest power is the queen, they look and live like humans only with the exception they never age and have to consume blood to live. It is only from their blood any other type of chiropteran can exist. The second highest is the chevalier, like me. We are made when we drink the blood of a queen. Our strength and speed does not surpass a queen, but we have the ability to transform between looking like a human or chiropteran. And the lowest type of my species is the ordinary chiropteran. They always look like a demon and have no minds of their own, so they are bent on consuming blood in any way their brute strength can get it for them."

"But what about you?" she asked. "Do _you_ consume blood?"

"No," he said. "chevaliers don't _need_ to consume anything. We don't sleep, eat or consume blood, although we could if we wanted to, it's not necessary for survival."

"But wait," she replied, starting to walk closer. "you said there is another queen. Where is she if Saya's sleeping here?"

Hagi felt a slight pain in himself to remember the girl who had tormented him and Saya for so long.

"Her name was Diva," he said. "Saya killed her a few years ago in a battle that took place after Diva's final performance in New York City. You see, Diva was raised differently from Saya. She was taught hatred against humans and was the driving force towards a complete genocide of the human race. It had taken Saya and me over 100 years to finally kill her and her chevaliers."

"What? 100 _years_?"

"The story began in 1833 when Saya and Diva were found in cocoons on land in Iceland. As you know, they were separated at birth, Saya treated like a human and Diva treated like a dog. After Saya had grown up to her final age of about 16, I, at the age of 12, was brought to her to be her servant. Saya had taught me love and affection, even though I wasn't there to be her friend, we soon became close. When I was at the age of 25, Saya had found Diva's chamber and let her out to surprise Joel for his birthday."

"Who's Joel?"

"The man who Saya believed him to be her father, for he was the one to take care of her. Amshell was the one to take care of Diva."

"Okay, go on with the story," Michelle said, her eyes full of interest.

"After Saya let Diva out, she and I were on a picnic outside of the mansion. That was when Saya showed me lilies she wanted to give Joel for his birthday. I thought it was too dangerous for her to attempt getting them because they were growing on the edge of a cliff. In hindsight, it probably would have been easier for Saya to get them for even if she did fall, she wouldn't have died because of her healing abilities."

"Oh, God, Hagi," Michelle breathed. "Don't tell me... you..."

Hagi looked down and continued.

"I fell off of the cliff and split my skull."

His words made Michelle hold her mouth.

"I'm not sure what happened after that but Saya had given me her blood in a desperate attempt to save me. The next thing I knew, I was waking up as her chevalier. I found her minutes later at the mansion as it burned to the ground with corpses surrounding it."

"Oh my God," she breathed in horror.

"As Saya and I went on our quest to kill her, Diva created many chevaliers and chiropterans to hinder our chances of defeating her. Her first chevalier was Amshell. In her lifetime Diva created 5 more chevaliers."

"Wait - you keep talking like it's only you and Saya doing this. Why didn't anyone else help you?"

"Because it is only Saya who could kill Diva. You see, the only thing that can kill a chiropteran of any kind is the blood of another queen. One queen's blood kills the other and vice versa with chiropterans they create. Only the blood of one queen can kill a chiropteran created by another queen."

"So what happened?"

"In the end, Saya killed Diva and all of her chevaliers. The only chiropterans alive now are her, the babies, and me."

"The babies? Oh! The babies in the pub?"

"Are Diva's children. The man you met, Kai, is their uncle. What had happened was, Saya's adopted brother, Riku, whom Saya had turned into a chevalier at the last second, mated with Diva. After she had her way with him, Diva killed Riku, leaving Kai and Saya the only members of the family left."

"Wait, how did Kai and Riku get pulled into all of this?"

"Their father, George, was in charge of taking care of Saya after she woke up after the incident in Vietnam. He made her part of the family, and for the time it lasted, she thought she belonged here naturally."

"What incident in Vietnam?"

Hagi looked away painfully, then to his hand.

"Saya was asleep, but Diva had just woken up and was creating chiropterans to kill the soldiers during the Vietnam war. The military forced Saya awake and she snapped, killing everyone, chiropterans and innocent humans alike... She didn't even recognize me and..." he lifted his claw, making Michelle cringe. "Even though I never fully transform into chiropteran form, my hand is permanently like this because of her cutting it off with her blood."

"Oh no," she breathed, reaching to touch it. "But wait, I get the majority of the story, but why did Kai think you were dead?"

"After the final battle with Diva, Amshell came back after us. I used Saya's sword, already coated in her blood to take him down but at the last moment he impaled me with his claw, holding me there as the building collapsed on us. Saya and Kai got away with the babies, but I wasn't able to get out and back here until now."

Michelle gasped. "So, Saya went to sleep thinking you were dead?"

Hagi looked down painfully.

"When's she going to wake up? We have to let her know you're okay."

"In about 30 years," he said.

"Oh," Michelle said, looking down too. "So, you're over 100 years old?"

"Yes."

"How old?"

"Over 150 by a few years. I lost track a while ago."

"And Saya is _older_ than you?"

"Yes."

"Wow... what an incredible life... You must really love her to stick by her still."

"Yes," Hagi said passionately. "she is my reason for being. She is everything to me."

Michelle nodded, dropping her umbrella, for the rain had stopped and the sun was coming up.

"Why did you tell me this?" she asked. "Why me?"

"You're my friend," he said simply. "I trust you."


	7. Chapter 7

"No," Kai said, stepping closer to Michelle. "I've never seen Hagi interact with anyone except Saya since I met him. No friends or anything. He is quite different."

"I wonder why me," she whispered.

"Who knows," Kai shrugged. "maybe it's because you remind him of himself. I've never seen anyone else so much like Hagi before. Not even Saya."

"Saya," Michelle breathed, looking down. "Hagi really does love her, doesn't he?"

"We all do," Kai said, becoming serious.

"She won't wake up for quite a while, huh?"

"Not unless a miracle takes place. It's sad that she spends so much time asleep."

Michelle sighed and looked out the window of the pub.

"He's still out there?" Kai asked.

"Yes," Michelle said. "he's with his love."

"And the babies are taking a nap," Kai got up and sat down next to Michelle. "anything less somber you'd like to do?"

Michelle thought about it then replied, "I guess we could talk some more, until Hagi comes back in."

As the afternoon went on, Kai and Michelle talked about Hagi, Saya, Riku and all of the others they had befriended through the years. The rain began again and stopped again, as if it couldn't make up it's mind. Hagi still didn't show.

"I'm sorry," Michelle interrupted Kai. "but I need to go see what the hell Hagi's doing."

Kai stared at her, surprised, but let her go out into the bright day.

_Damn Hagi,_ her mind argued as she stomped up the wet slippery concrete steps in her heels.

It took her a few minutes until she reached the top. When she finally did she immediately stopped when she saw Hagi kneeling at Saya's tomb. His face hung down, his hair covering it.

"Hagi?" Michelle whispered, making him turn towards her. She flinched back when she saw his face soaked. But what with?

"Hagi?" she repeated. "Are you okay?"

He didn't respond, he only looked down in pain as his face became wetter.

"Hagi!" she exclaimed as she ran to him. His clothes were soaked from the rain but Michelle still held him as tight as she could. When he could feel strength, he clutched her in his arms and fell to his knees with a sob, taking her with him.

"She thinks I'm dead," he whispered. "if only I... if only there was a way..."

Michelle held him tighter and hushed his cries as her mom would with her. "I know," she whispered.

Hagi was a strong man and when he fell apart in her arms, she didn't know what to do. He was so much stronger than her and if he fell apart so easily, what hope would she ever have? Soon, she felt tears in her eyes.

"Please don't cry, Hagi," she breathed. "Saya wouldn't want you to be sad."

Her words made Hagi clutch her tighter.

"She loves you, Hagi, and deep down she knows you're alive. She's probably dreaming of you right now. She'll be waiting, in 30 years she'll wake up and be in your arms just like this."

"How do you know?" he asked, regaining control of his voice.

"Because I love you too, and I'd wait a million years for you. Even if you WERE dead, even if I saw your corpse with my own eyes," a tear fell down her face. "I'd still believe with every fiber of my being that you were still alive."

They sat there for a moment before Hagi looked into her eyes.

"Thank you," he said, wiping a tear off of her face.

"No problem," she said in a shaky voice.

As he got up, he picked her up with him.

They walked in content silence down the stairs, Hagi holding Michelle's hand for support so she wouldn't fall. By the time they made it down, it was almost sunset.

"You probably want to go home," Hagi said, still holding her hand.

"Not yet," she said, clutching his tighter. "I still want to have dinner with Kai and the babies. He said he was making vegetarian ramen just for me."

Hagi smiled at her excitement and led her back to the pub.

The rest of the day was spent having fun with Kai and the others but by 9pm, Michelle knew it was the time to leave. She said long goodbyes to everyone before Hagi led her back to the bus stop.

"That was fun," she said with a yawn as she leaned into Hagi's shoulder as they sat on the bench.

Hagi simply chuckled and smiled.

"Wake me up when I'm home," she said, closing her eyes.

The next thing she knew she was cuddled next to her favorite pillow in her warm blankets. Memories of the day flooded her mind but then she realized--

"Hagi," she gasped, forcing her eyes open.

"Shh," he whispered, closing her eyes with his human hand then rubbing her shoulder.

_How'd I get here?_ she wondered, running through her memories of that day. _Do I have clothes on?_ she checked by feeling. _Phew, okay, I do. But he's not going to let me wake up and ask questions... Oh well, may as well sleep..._

But before he could disappear again, Michelle grabbed his hand and held it to her heart as she fell back asleep.

* * *

When she woke up, she expected him to be gone, but he wasn't. He was laying on the other half of her bed with his coat off and his eyes closed.

_Is he... sleeping?_

Michelle decided not to wake up but study him as he slept so calmly. His gorgeous shoulder-length black hair was down and on his white shirt. His elegant thin face was so peaceful and calm she wanted to touch it. He was on the outside of the blankets so she could see his jet-black pants and socks.

_What fashion sense_, she thought.

Staring at his beauty was too much for her, she had to be closer.

Slowly, she pulled the blanket under her shoulder and reached out to rest her hand on his chest. When he didn't wake up she slowly wiggled her body closer until it touched his.

_What could he be thinking?_ she wondered. _What a stupid question, of course he's thinking about Saya.._ she sighed. 'But still, _I_ have him for now.' a smirk came across her face.

As if having read her thoughts, Hagi's ice blue eyes slowly opened and he tilted his head to make eye contact.

Michelle smiled innocently as if someone else's thoughts woke him up.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she smiled. "I thought chevaliers don't sleep."

"It's not required for survival," he said, looking down. "but I've watched the ones I love do it for so long, I wondered what it'd be like to dream again."

_Ones he loved? Does that mean Saya AND me? Did he just put us in the same category of importance? LOVE?_

She shook the excitement out of her head and asked, "What did you dream of?"

He thought about it for a moment then his eyes met hers, "You. Your life. What you've gone through and what what you've achieved."

She smiled widely. _HAHAHA! He totally dreamed of ME!_

"Sounds_ bitchin_," she whispered.

Hagi nodded, smiling.


	8. Chapter 8

When they finished the 5 minute cello song, Hagi was the first to speak.

"You're amazing," he stated, making Michelle blush. "You've improved so much in just a short amount of time."

"Well, it _has_ been weeks since we first played together," she said, smiling.

"It has, hasn't it?" Hagi said in a low voice.

"Hm?" Michelle caught his tone.

"It just feels like I've known you longer," he said, looking into the sunset.

Michelle giggled happily, then said, "I dunno about you, but I'm starving. Maybe if we hurry we could make it to Kai's and see if he has any vegie-ramen."

Hagi nodded and they were off.

The trip to Omoros was very quiet, surprisingly.

"You're biting your nails," he stated.

She stopped chewing, put on a fake smile but still didn't look at him when she spoke. "I have to keep them short for cello playing, silly."

"Something's wrong," he said.

"I'm fine," she lied.

"Look at me," he said seriously.

Michelle looked at him and he immediately knew in her big blue eyes something was wrong.

"What's wrong?" he asked, moving closer to her, making her heart pound and her butt almost fall off of the bus seat.

"Nothing," she whispered as he caught her by wrapping his arm around her waist.

Now that she was in his grip he pulled her closer and stared into her eyes as she had no control.

_Damn it!_ her mind screamed.

"Tell me," he said so softly he had to have felt hear heart begin beating rapidly.

"Uh--" she had now completely lost her train of thought and the only thing she could feel was the need to protect her mind. With all of her strength, she pushed away from Hagi. His expression became hurt so to avoid it, she changed seats to the row to their right.

After 5 minutes of being alone she didn't need to look over to know he was hurt.

"I'm sorry," she said, keeping her gaze straight forward. "It's just hard for me to think when you're around and I'm feeling some intense emotions right now. Please, I just need some time to think."

The rest of the trip was completely silent until they came to their destination where Hagi offered his help so she didn't trip getting off the bus.

"Hey, you guys!" Kai said excitedly when the solemn two walked in. When they didn't say anything Kai asked, "Did something... happen?"

Michelle shrugged off her somber tension, put on an excited face and said hopefully, "Do you have any vegie ramen?"

"Of course," Kai said. "Since we added it to the menu, people have been going nuts."

"Yay!" she exclaimed, flying over to the counter. Hagi simply sat down at a table.

As Michelle ate hungrily, Kai didn't speak. He felt the tension in the air.

"So, what's going on?" he asked casually.

Michelle shrugged, shoveling more ramen.

Just then the babies came running into the room. Even _they_ knew something was up.

"What's wrong with everybody?" the red-eyed one asked.

Hagi stiffened at her voice and Michelle knew his thoughts. _Like I know._

Michelle looked away and growled at her conscience. _Damn it, I guess it's time to tell them the truth._

"Hagi," she said, getting off of her stool and walked towards him. When his gaze met hers she fell to pieces on the floor. Not even his chevalier speed could catch her.

"Michelle," he gasped, getting toward her.

"Come on, let's go into the living room," Kai said, picking up the babies and walking into the other room.

"I don't know what to do," she said between sobs.

"What about?" he asked, holding her together against his chest.

She shook her head as she fought with herself. "It's hard... to say."

As he combed her hair with his human hand she felt herself stop hyperventilating and calm like when her mom would do when she'd lose it.

"I..." she breathed. "I love you, Hagi... but," she wiped her eyes carefully not to mess up her makeup. "I love you enough to want you to be happy with whatever it is that _you_ want. And you want Saya." She carefully released herself from his grip to look into his eyes. "I respect that you love her and not me, and I understand that you wouldn't leave her side for a minute. Which is why... I have to do this alone. Hagi, I'm going home."

Hagi nodded and brushed a hair out of her eyes. "If that is what you wish."

"I need to," she said. "but I will come back. As long as you're here, Hagi, this will always be my second home."


	9. Chapter 9

Michelle's final words rang in his head as he played on their hill.

"_I'll be praying for you, and Saya_," she had said.

It had been over a month since Michelle left on her plane back to New York, but Hagi hasn't stopped thinking about her since.

When his song ended, he felt intensely lonely.

_I hope she's happy,_ he thought to himself as he imagined her happily with her family.

Just then he felt a strange twinge in his heart and stiffed in his chair.

"Saya," he breathed, packing up his cello in a second and running as fast as he could to Saya's tomb.

When he made it there what he saw shocked him.

Saya was in front of her tomb, like usual when she woke up; she was soaked and completely naked. The only difference this time was that her hair was only just under her shoulders and not a river due to having it grow for 30 years. She was on her knees, holding the pink rose wrapped by Hagi's ribbon in her hand, completely serene.

"Saya?" Hagi gasped, not moving any closer.

At his voice she was immediately brought to attention and breathed, "Hagi."

As she turned around it may as well have been the first moment he saw her. She was completely innocent, as if everything she'd been through with Diva hadn't ever happened. Perhaps she didn't completely remember yet.

"Saya," Hagi couldn't contain his excitement any longer and he ran to his queen and wrapped her in his arms, not tight enough to hurt her but enough to take away his loneliness. Just when he remembered what was happening wasn't normal he asked, "Are you alright? Why are you awake?"

Saya stared at him confused. Shaking her head, she answered, "I... just felt like I needed to get up..."

"Kai needs to see you," he said feeling rushed. "please, stay with me until Kai sees you."

Just then, Saya's weight dropped making her knees fall under her. It didn't matter though, Hagi was holding her so tightly she hardly stumbled.

"Kai!" Hagi yelled towards the stairs._ Please hear me, Kai,_ he hoped as he stared into Saya's dazed and sleepy eyes.

"I'm... so happy... you're alive... Hagi," she breathed, reaching out a weak hand to touch his face.

Just then Hagi heard footsteps on the stairs behind him.

"Kai, hurry!" he exclaimed, holding Saya tighter in his arms and she became limp.

When the footsteps reached the top they began running towards him.

"Saya," the voice wasn't Kai's. "So this is Saya." the footsteps got closer and Hagi turned to see the white hair, pale skin and black dress. "Hi, Saya, I'm Michelle. Hagi's been mentoring me on the cello for a while. you could say we're friends, but that's it."

"Mich... elle?" Saya asked in an out-of-it voice. She shook her head and smiled slightly. "You're friends with Hagi?" she asked more awake and looking at Hagi.

Michelle nodded with a smile that eased Hagi's heart. His Michelle was back.

"Hagi, wanna let go a little? She must be freezing," Michelle said, walking closer with some kind of blanket in her hands.

"Damn, Michelle, you're too fast!" Kai said, stumbling up the stairs as Michelle wrapped the blanket around Saya's shoulders like a cape.

"Actually, I'm just in time," Michelle said, moving away so Kai could see his sister.

"Saya?" he asked getting closer.

"Kai," Saya said, reaching out to her adopted brother.

When Kai got in reaching distance he hugged his sister as tight as Hagi did.

"Why is she awake? What's going on?" he asked, letting her go.

"I guess a miracle took place." Michelle said, quoting him.

"I won't be awake for long, Michelle," Saya reached out towards the tall thin girl, making her walk towards her and kneel down to meet her level. "please, take care of Hagi while I'm gone... I know how lonely he must get when I sleep... Kai, take care of the babies... Hagi," she looked up into his teary crystal blue eyes. "I'll always be with you... and please, don't think it's wrong to want to remember what it's like to be human... you still are at heart..." with that final word her eyes closed and she drifted off to the rest of her 30 years sleep.

* * *

After having placed her back into the tomb and Kai having gone back to the house, Hagi and Michelle had time to talk about what had just happened.

"I had a feeling this would happen," Michelle said. "it was like God was telling me specifically to come back to Okinawa just now. So I did, and I told you I'd pray for you two," she smiled widely.

Hagi smiled with her, then kissed her cheek. "Thank you," he whispered.

"No problem," she said in a dreamy gaze.

_SHIT, if I thought I'd get a kiss from Hagi every time I did him a favor I'd be doing him favors 24/7!_ she thought to herself.

"For everything. Saya was right, it was as if she was reading my mind. When I met you, I couldn't help but wish I were human too, and through the time we spent together, you made me feel that way. You made me remember what it was like to be human again, and for that I will always be grateful. And for being here as long as you have and filling my loneliness with friendship, I will always love you."

Michelle's mind would've normally gone berserk from that, but she understood what he meant. He meant he'd always love her as a friend. _But that's okay too!_

Then, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him while squealing in a high-pitch voice.

"I love you too," she said when she could talk._ More than you'll ever know._

When she let go of him they began walking back down the stone stairs.

"How long are you staying?" Hagi asked.

Michelle shrugged. "How long do you want me to?"

Hagi didn't know what to say. He wanted to say forever but that'd sound too forward.

"As long as you can," he said.

"Sounds_ bitchin _ to me," she said with a smile.


	10. Chapter 10

"Relax, it's just a wig," Michelle laughed, pulling off her short black wig, revealing her long white/blond hair. With her action, Hagi's tension released.

"Why do you wear a wig?" he asked.

She shrugged and plopped down next to him on the couch.

"Not all Japanese are willing to accept me so when I'm traveling around it's easier just to blend in as much as I can. It's not like we're in Tokyo, Okinawa is more serious," she explained.

It had been 4 years for Michelle since she met Hagi and befriended him. For the years she'd known him, he'd gotten to loosen up around her more but still his natural personality was serious.

"Not to mention, if anyone were to recognize me as MdivaC, opera star, all hell would break loose. Sometimes it's easier to not be me," she chuckled uncomfortably.

With Hagi's more open personality, Michelle's had become more closed off and serious. She used to be the type of person to laugh at anything, now it seemed as if she was too busy to do much of anything anymore.

"How long are you staying this time?" Hagi asked.

"Well, this _is_ partly vacation but I'm in Japan for performing too... just not in the right part of it. I have to be in Tokyo in three weeks, then back to the states for me," she sighed and leaned back.

Hagi nodded understandingly and stared off into the distance of her new apartment with her.

The new place she had moved into since acquiring so much money for her opera performances was gigantic, for Okinawa that is. It was about 3 times the size of her old place and it was still just a second home. Her real home was in Alaska.

"Wanna come with me?" she asked. "I wouldn't ask you normally but it is still in Japan so you wouldn't be so far away from Saya."

Hagi looked at the new 20 year old girl deeply. Her words weren't spontaneous, in her eyes he could tell she had been thinking about it.

"I understand if you don't want to," she said with a frown.

"I will go if that is what you wish," he said honestly.

An old goofy smile came across her face as she jumped up and hugged him the way she used to.

"Thank you, Hagi," she said softly.

At that moment he didn't care that he'd be leaving Saya for however long, he only cared that he had his Michelle back.

"You're welcome," he said, hugging her back.

When she let go she looked into his eyes and said, "for everything."

* * *

Hagi's eyes widened when she finished her cello song. She had absolutely perfected it.

"Good?" she asked, not taking any unnecessary stretches like she used to. She was more mature now, more professional.

"Very," he said. "It's perfect."

Michelle let herself smile for a moment as she stared into the now setting sun.

There they were on their hill, but something was different between them. Of course Hagi wouldn't change, he didn't age or go through life-changing events anymore. He wasn't human, but Michelle was. She'd gone through so much within the past 4 years it had changed her personality to be more like his.

"How are Kai and the twins?" she asked, not looking back at the gorgeous man. "I haven't seen them since I last came here."

"They're good," Hagi said.

"That's good," Michelle said, looking down.

They sat in silence until Hagi spoke.

"They miss you," he said softly.

"I should see them then," she said, getting up.

Hagi copied her moment and picked up his cello case as she handed him the cello.

"Do we have time to make it to Omoros?" she asked while fixing her dress. Her gothic style hadn't changed over the years, but had only improved to be more elegant and expensive.

"Are you sure you're up to it? Hagi asked thoughtfully. "You look so tired."

"I _am_ tired," she said with a yawn. "For the past 3 years I've been doing non-stop performances. People don't understand how thin they're spreading me," as she talked her body began to sway until her legs buckled under her, Hagi caught her without hesitation.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Everything about the way she was now reminded Hagi of Saya. Her sleepy behavior, her apologies, her faded smile. His Michelle was beginning to turn into someone else.

Hagi then picked the weak girl up in his arms and began walking to her apartment.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered as she held on.

* * *

When they arrived back at her apartment, Hagi carefully lied her onto her king sized bed. Her eyes were glazed over, indicating she wasn't asleep yet, but conscious enough to know what was going on.

"Michelle," Hagi whispered as he pushed a long white hair out of her face.

Her lips moved slightly as she tried to talk.

"No," he said, putting a finger to her lips. "Rest."

Of course, as she always had done before, she listened to her protector and fell asleep.

Hagi watched her as she slept. She had become a different person when awake but asleep she was still his dreamy Michelle. When he made sure she was asleep, he walked into the other room.

When he walked by her table, he noticed an open letter from France. He glanced at it to see if it was written in English, then picked it up.

The letter was a performance offer asking if she would take a performance in Paris before she'd go to Tokyo. They offered her over 8 thousand dollars to do it.

'But, that performance date was today,' he thought to himself as he put down the letter and headed back to her bedroom.

* * *

When Michelle finally came to, she noticed Hagi was sitting on the corner of her bed.

"Hagi?" she breathed.

"You're finally awake," he said, looking at her.

"Yeah," she said, stretching. "how long have I been out?"

"2 days," he said.

"Ah!" she exclaimed, jumping out of her bed. "2 days?!"

Hagi nodded and she ran to her closet in search for something.

"There you are," she said, grabbing a pill bottle then rushing into the kitchen.

Hagi followed her so that she wouldn't trip and hurt herself in the frantic running.

"Are you all right?" he asked as she swallowed the pills with a glass of water.

"Yeah," she said, spinning around. Just then, Hagi realized her eyes were bloodshot and her hands shaking. "just needed my medication. Doctor said they help me to stay awake so I can do all these shows."

Hagi's stare became shocked as he realized how completely she was falling apart. She was only 20 and the world was on her shoulders.

"Why didn't you go to Paris?" he asked.

She shrugged as the medication kicked in, giving her a grip on herself.

"Didn't need the money," she said.

Hagi shook his head and took 2 steps towards her.

"What?" she asked defensively.

Hagi didn't stop walking, when he made it to her, he wrapped his arms around her. She tried to fight it at first but then fell to his comfort and began crying in his chest. Hagi held her tight.

"It's so hard," she cried. "it's so hard and I-I can't... do this! I don't wanna keep pushing myself like this! I wanna stay here, with you, like we used to."

"It's _your_ life," he said, resting his head on hers. "you can do what you want with it."

"I want to stay here with you," she said as her voice finally broke.


	11. Chapter 11

"It's just a case of a missing voice," the male doctor said as Michelle's tension rose.

She then mouthed the words, 'But I _can't_ lose my voice!' but nothing came out, making her more frantic.

"When will she be better?" Hagi asked for her as she gripped his hand for comfort.

"Can't tell," the doctor said. "could be a few days, could be a few weeks, but by seeing how serious it is I'd give it a few weeks until it's perfectly back to normal. You must have strained it really bad to not even get a squeak out now."

Remembering she'd been crying when her voice died, Hagi felt immediately protective.

"In any case," he said sternly. "she needs her voice. She's MdivaC. What can she do to speed her convalescence?"

"Drink a lot of water and don't try to talk for a while," the doctor said.

Michelle's face said it all, she was very unhappy and irritated with the doctor but there wasn't much she could do now.

* * *

"Here," Hagi said, handing Michelle a glass of water while she lied snuggled up in her blankets on her overly fluffy bed. She had just had Hagi call her manager and explain the situation so that he'd move Tokyo's performance forward another week so she could relax and heal.

Michelle mouthed, 'thank you,' before gulping down the entire glass, then handing it back to Hagi.

'_Look what you've got yourself in this time_,' her mind scolded.

'_I know, I know_,' she growled back. '_I shouldn't have pushed myself so hard_.'

'_But you could have just gone to Paris and made a bunch of money instead of losing your voice here in Japan!_'

'_But Hagi's here and he comes before **any** performance._'

'_So you chose love before money huh? How many times will you have your heart broken before you learn?_'

'_Shut **up**!_'

The voice silenced as Hagi walked back into the room with the glass refilled.

Michelle pointed to the end table by her bed for him to set it on. When he did as she instructed, he sat on the corner of her bed like he always did. Only this time, he looked pained and helpless.

Michelle then grabbed her erasable marker board she had lied next to her and began to write a message to Hagi.

When she held it up for him, he read it out-loud.

"_I know you wish there was something you could do. I do too_," he read. "There's no point in exerting your strength to try to talk to me," he said softly.

She then wrote another note and held it up for him. This time he read it in his mind.

_I can't stand the silence._

Hagi then got up and walked into the other room. When he came back he had his cello in his hand and was beginning to unpack. When he did, he got up in a chair by her bed and began to play.

Every fiber of her being wanted to hum the tune of his song but she couldn't. Instead of trying to exert herself, she just lied back and enjoyed his perfect cello playing.

'_Yes_,' she said in her mind. '_I do choose love over money because the moments like these are what make life worth living._'

When his song finally ended he carefully lied his cello on its side (the right way to set it down when not playing) and sat back at her bed.

Michelle then sighed and looked down at her black and blue blankets. Hagi caught her pain and wanted so much to make it go away. So she could talk and laugh with her adorable voice.

She then reached out her hand and touched his face, making him look towards her. Her hand traced his gorgeous temple to his beautiful black hair.

She gently twisted the waved lock that hung down the front of his face with her finger and smiled, making him slightly smile too. When she let go and began shrinking her hand back to her body, he grabbed it gently.

'_Hm?_' she would've spoken.

He held her long pale fingers with platinum iced fingernails for a moment before speaking.

"Your hands... they're like mine," he said as he held hers with his human hand.

She smiled and nodded in agreement.

His fingers traced up her arm, sending a shiver down her spine. When he touched her shoulder, she couldn't help but remember all of the times he'd rubbed her shoulders when she was upset to comfort her. They continued to rub up her neck where she'd felt so much of the world bear down on her.

'_Yes_,' she mouthed, closing her eyes and letting the comfort of his being take care of her in ways words could not.

As he rubbed her neck, she immediately found herself grabbing his hand with hers and entwining her fingers with his. It wasn't hard for him to maneuver himself to where he was still rubbing her neck and was laying next to her.

"My Michelle," he said, not seductively but in an honest protective voice.

At his words her eyes opened and looked back to his.

At that moment Hagi realized that when he was around Michelle he wasn't a chevalier, he was just Hagi. With her, he could be his entire self around without feeling any forced obligation. She was his friend, his equal, but above all she was his. Not sexually, but just to be with for comfort.

"What am I to do with you?" he said with a half smile.

Michelle looked around for a moment before mouthing, 'Love me?'

"Of course," he said.

They lied in silence before Hagi lied on his side and into Michelle's eyes. He couldn't help but feel protective and love this girl. Everything about her was so lighthearted and joyous. He had to admit to himself he never felt this easy around Saya, at least since becoming her chevalier that is. Of course his love for Saya was deeper and would last them all of eternity, his love for Michelle was a human love that would last him the rest of her life, therefore he would never feel torn between the two. The woman he'd spend eternity serving and the girl who's life determined the amount of time he'd spend with her.

Michelle then took his face with one of her hands and for the first time mouthed the words, '_Kiss me_.'

Without hesitation, Hagi pulled himself over the white haired girl, his black hair shrouding their faces. He looked into her dimly lit face for a moment as he felt himself bend his chin up and kiss her forehead softly.

When he took his lips from her skin he felt an old energized feeling from his core. What it was like to be _human_. The emotions, the desire. His intensity flashed into her mind and without control she took his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his.

'_I've been wanting to do this for so long_,' her mind hummed as the heat melted her core.

When Hagi released himself of her grip she immediately felt horrible for what she did.

'_He loves Saya! Not you!_' her mind screamed in horror.

When she readied herself for him to disappear, she closed her eyes in horror. A moment later she opened them to see he was still hovering over her, only now his eyes showed desire but hesitation.

'_I'm **so** sorry_,' she mouthed.

"No," he said. Not to his passion, but to her apology. "Don't apologize."

Just as shame set in, Michelle turned her face to the side. She couldn't look into his eyes after what she just did. Yes, she loved and wanted Hagi with everything in her but she couldn't hurt Saya after all she'd done to be with him.

'_But yeah, Saya's gonna be sleeping another 25 years or so, what's a little short-lived romance gonna hurt?_' she thought.

Just then she reached for her marker board and wrote another note for Hagi.

He read it silently as she put it on top of her face.

'_I love you, but you love Saya_,' it read.

He then nodded his head and lied down next to his friend, wrapping one protective arm around her frail body.

Hagi wasn't going to explain how it was that he loved both of them differently, instead he just wanted his beloved friend to heal. So that's what he'd do. He'd help her heal.

Michelle then erased part of her last message and held it up for Hagi before turning out the light. The message read-

**_I love you._**


	12. Chapter 12

Michelle awoke in the middle of the night from a nightmare. Her heavy breathing and frantic movements had woken Hagi up immediately. Instead of talking, he held her close in the moonlight that flooded into her bedroom from her large window. As she began to calm down, he began to whisper.

"It's okay, it was just a nightmare," he said.

Michelle shook her head and flicked the light.

When Hagi saw her face he almost flinched in shock. Her makeup was smearing down her sweat-covered face, her eyes were glowing and wide, her lips were bloody from her having chewed on them in her sleep.

"What is it?" he asked, immediately concerned.

She shook her head and searched desperately for her marker board. When she got it she scribbled so fast, Hagi could hardly read what she wrote.

'_Saya's in trouble!_'

"Right now?" he asked without questioning her premonition. She occasionally had visions when God needed to tell her something; Hagi had grown accustomed to this part of her personality.

She nodded her head frantically and jumped out of bed.

"No!" Hagi caught her before she could fly to her closet. "You must rest and regain your voice. _I'll_ go check on Saya's tomb. Stay. Here."

Before Michelle could even attempt to talk he was gone.

_'Damn it, Hagi!_' she wanted to scream. _'It was my vision after all!'_

Then in anger she went to her closet, fixed her makeup, pulled on a coat over her nightgown and headed out behind him.

* * *

By the time she'd made it across town, not even her comfy nikes could hold her up and she became so tired she could hardly stand up.

'_Damn, maybe I should have listened to Hagi_,' she thought. '_But I couldn't have let him go alone! Not when the girl he loves is in danger. Although, I probably should have analyzed that vision a bit more before telling him, but who else could it be? His love is Saya, pretty easy to figure that one out_.'

Just as she got deeper into the park, she felt a chill up her spine.

"Is anyone th-" She tried to speak, but the voice was hoarse and indescribable. '_Oh, that's right. Still can't speak._'

'_Damn, where the hell am I? Maybe I should go back_-'

"MdivaC?" a man's voice asked from behind.

She spun around to see a strange looking, not Japanese at _all_ man staring at her.

She shook her head desperately.

'_No, no, no_,' she mouthed.

The man only got closer and his face more confused.

'_Go away!_' she mouthed as she spun around to run when she saw another man behind her. This man was was bald, black, overweight and had a beard. Again, not Japanese at ALL.

"Hey calm down, man," he said in a Jamaican accent, putting his hands up defensively.

She backed into the tall blond man in surprise then flinched when he grabbed a hold of her arms.

'_NO!_' she tried to scream, kicking and punching as hard as she could.

"She can't talk," the Jamacan man said.

'_HAGI!_' she tried again.

"She... I could've sworn she just mouthed, 'Hagi'."

"Hagi?" the blonde said, spinning her around to face him. "What do you know of Hagi?"

She shook her head angrily.

_'They won't get a word from ME!'_

"Asking questions isn't going to get us anywhere," the Jamaican one said, "she can't talk. Must've lost her voice."

"Damn, Kai won't say anything either."

'_Kai? They know Kai too? Wait a sec..._'

Then, without hesitation, Michelle mouthed the word, '_Saya_.'

"Saya? Okay, girl, what do you know about them?" the blond asked.

'_They know Hagi, Kai and Saya. They must know the whole truth! They must be..._'

'_Red shield_,' she mouthed just as a familiar presence manifested itself behind her.

"Put her down," Hagi said.

Just as Hagi commanded, the man threw Michelle aside.

"Hagi," the man said. "Now where the hell have you been?"

Hagi didn't respond, only looked down.

"Did you abandon Saya on purpose?" the man asked, getting closer.

'_He must be talking about the final fight against Diva where Hagi was nearly killed and couldn't get to Saya!_' she thought.

Immediately feeling strength in Hagi's defense, Michelle got to her feet and growled in a raspy voice, "Hey! You know _nothing_! Don't speak to him like he's a traitor, he loves Saya more than you'll ever kno--" her tirade against the blond man was cut off by a million coughs. Hagi rushed to her side just as the man spoke again.

"And who is this? You can't just give away information the Red Shield has been hiding to just any girl!"

"She's not just any girl," Hagi stated.

"No, she's not," the man responded. "she's world-famous, MdivaC!"

Just then by remembering her title, Michelle felt the heavy weight of the world back on her shoulders and fell into Hagi's arms.

"She has the right to know. Saya gave her her blessing," Hagi said.

"Saya?" the Jamaican man asked. "Saya went to sleep about 5 years ago."

"She woke up 4 years ago by mistake and met Michelle herself. You can even ask Kai," Hagi said, picking up the frail girl. "but right now I need to take care of my friend."

And with his final words, he disappeared into the night with his unconscious friend.

* * *

'_Where... am I?_' were Michelle's first thoughts as she woke up in a daze.

She rubbed her eyes and looked around to find Hagi across the room, watching her.

'_Hagi_,' she breathed.

"Don't try to speak," he said, picking her up and putting her on her bed, then handing her the water.

As she drank the cold liquid her throat nearly began singing thank you's.

She mouthed, '_Thanks_,' then handed Hagi the glass. As he refilled the glass she had found her marker board and began writing another message.

When Hagi walked back into the room he put the water on her end table then read her message.

_Who were those men? Were they from the Red Shield?_

"Yes," he said. "they were from the Red Shield. Their names are Lewis and David. They are the ones Saya and I had come to know through our travels to exterminate Diva."

Michelle began writing another message.

_If they're good then why are they such dicks? _She wrote bluntly._  
_

Hagi almost chuckled at her already awake attitude before speaking. "I believe David was acting hostile due to surprise of my living. Saya wasn't the only one who thought I was dead."

Michelle wrote another message.

_Still doesn't give him the right to be a dick. What was he talking about with me not being fit to know of you and Saya?_

"The people entrusted with Saya's history are chosen by the Red Shield to have the right to fight on their side. They don't usually let just anyone know."

Michelle wrote another message.

_Am I in trouble?_

"No," Hagi said softly, looking into her eyes. "_Saya _chose for you to know. She, above all others, has the final jurisdiction to Joel's Diary."

Michelle nodded, looking out of the room to Hagi's cello case. Hagi didn't need her to write another note to know where this was going.

* * *

For the next week, Hagi had his old Michelle back and Michelle had her beloved Hagi. Her voice was slowly starting to come back but not enough to say more than a few words.

"Hagi," she whispered.

They were on a bus to Omoros after having played their cellos almost all day.

"Yes?" Hagi replied.

"When the babies... Diva's babies... grow up, will they... be like Saya and... sleep for 30 years?"

"We don't know yet," Hagi said solemnly. "they are the 2nd generation of Queens. Any behavior is possible."

"Oh," Michelle said, looking out into the sunset. "Sometimes... I wish I could too... sleep for 30 years... but, that wouldn't... work, right? Because it's that Saya... sleeps for so long... that you hang out... with me in the meantime."

"No," Hagi said strongly, looking into her eyes, nearly translucent in the light. "you are not my second choice of company only because my Queen sleeps. If you were to unexpectedly fall into hibernation I'd wait for you, just as I will for Saya. You explained why after I had checked Saya's tomb that I found nothing wrong that you misunderstood your vision. That your vision had actually been vague and all that you knew was that someone I loved was terrified and possibly in danger. We both know now that it was you. Isn't that proof enough that I care for you as much as I do Saya?"

"I know you care, Hagi," Michelle said in a breath. "but things are... different between _us_ than you and... her. Saya and you... you have history... but _me_, I just... showed up in your life... and I've been nothing but... a lost puppy... clinging to you... ever since."

"Lost puppy or not," Hagi almost laughed, "you are my friend, and I wouldn't trade you company for anything in the world. We may not have known each other for hundreds of years, but the few we have are just as good, if not better."

Hagi always had a way of making Michelle feel better, but this time he really moved her.

"I love you, Hagi," she said with a grin as she snuggled against his arm.

"I love you too," he said naturally.


	13. Chapter 13

"Wow! They've sure... grown up," Michelle coughed out when she saw the twins at Omoros. The girls had now grown into almost mini teenagers.

"They're almost in middle school now," Kai said, tussling the red-eyed one's short spiked hair, making her pat it down.

"Wow, I've missed so much," Michelle said. "Do you two remember me?"

"Duh! We weren't born yesterday," the blue-eyed one said mockingly. "it's only been 4 years. Not many people come around here with white hair...."

"OR hang out with Hagi," the red-eyed one said with a wink to Hagi.

"Hey, don't be so--"

"It's fine," Hagi cut Kai off, closing his eyes in a regal cat-like pose.

Michelle giggled in contentment that she was the only friend Hagi had, except for Saya. That realization popped her happy ego balloon like a pin.

"You two go play, grown-ups need to talk," Kai said to the girls who responded with angry grunts as they left the room.

As soon as the girls were gone, Michelle asked Kai, "When's the last time... David and Lewis bothered you... about the whereabouts of Hagi?"

"Huh?" the question caught Kai off-guard. "Oh, hmm... about a month ago. Why?"

"Well, about a week ago... they were bitching at me about it... practically held me freakin' hostage," Michelle said coarsely.

"Crap," Kai said, shaking his head. "well you know those guys, thinking they own the world 'cause they own Joel's diary, blah blah," Kai began to walk to the refrigerator. "Next thing you know they're kicking your ass saying things like 'this is the way our world is, you're too wimpy to handle it.' Yo, want some sake?"

"No," Michelle said, shaking her head. "I'm still too young... not to mention... it's hell to talk anyway."

Kai looked to Hagi, who shook his head.

"More for me," Kai said, pouring himself a drink. "here's a tip when they bug you again. Call the police."

Michelle chuckled. "Didn't have a cell."

Kai shrugged. "Seriously, don't let them push you around. I don't even get why the hell there is a red shield. They were formed to kill Diva, or help Saya to kill Diva-- anyway, Diva is dead so isn't it mission accomplished?"

Michelle shrugged. "Maybe in case the babies... start stuff in the future?"

"No," Kai said, nearly slamming his drink to the table. "I won't let them. Diva was the reason for the corruption of the chiropterans, but her reason for being such a crazy bitch is because of the way she was raised. If the twins end up like that then I failed Saya completely."

"Then I guess they'll be... just fine," Michelle said light-heartedly.

Kai nodded. "But onto less serious matters, how've you been miss opera queen?"

"I've been better," Michelle shrugged. "Lost my voice... can't perform til it's back."

"Yes and because of that fact you shouldn't strain yourself trying to talk," Hagi spoke out, reminding them that he was there.

Michelle frowned. "Then... how would I talk... with Kai?"

"Hagi's right," Kai said. "Don't push yourself for my sake. You need your voice to work. Me, all I need are my hands."

Michelle nodded, looking out the window into the setting sun.

*

"Well that was fun," Michelle said sarcastically. "We finally get here and he's not even here!"

It had been 2 weeks since Michelle and Hagi had last seen Kai. They had spent all day inside due to rain and now the sun was coming out and they had decided to go to Omoros.

Hagi merely frowned and shrugged.

"Well, damn it! Where is he?" Michelle growled.

Just as she was about to beat the door down, a car pulled up to the curb. Kai and one of the twins was in it.

"Kai!" Michelle began to walk towards the car. "Where have you been?"

The girl answered for him.

"My sister! She's missing!"

"Will you help us look?" Kai asked, trying to hide his worry.

"Of course," Michelle said, hopping into the car. Hagi was right with her.

As Kai drove down the street, Michelle asked, "Where was she last seen?"

"School playground," Kai said. "She ran off."

The twin poked her head around the front seat. At that moment Michelle realized it was the blue-eyed one.

"Some kid was making fun of her cause she gets blood transfusions and made her cry so she ran away!" she said with tears in her eyes.

"Why didn't you go with her?" Michelle asked.

The girl shook her head. "I was in the bathroom whenit happened. My friend told me about it when I got out. We need to find her!"

"We will," Hagi said calmly.

"Where have you looked?" Michelle asked.

"All over town," Kai said. "We're heading to the ocean to see if she's at the beach. With all of us we can really spread out."

When they arrived at the beach, Michelle immediately remembered her fear of the ocean.

'How silly,' she thought. 'I'm in Okinawa and I'm afraid of the ocean.'

"Okay, let's get out here," Kai said, pulling over to the beach.

After Michelle put her gym shoes (that she had stashed in her mini pack due to having just gone jogging the day before) on, she hopped out of the car and met up with the others.

"I'll take the left half," Kai said. "Hagi, you take her with you on the board walk," he looked down at the little girl with her -I'm grownup too and I can be by myself- expression. "Michelle, can you take the right?"

"I guess," Michelle said.

"Hey! Why does she get to be alone and I have to lug around Mr. Quiet?" the girl asked.

As Michelle nearly fell over holding her laughter, Kai answered her, "Because, Mr. Quiet doesn't have a phone. Therefore, he needs you."

His answer still didn't satisfy the girl and she crossed her arms.

"Kay, we all good?" Kai asked.

"Yup," Michelle said.

Hagi nodded.

"Hmph," the girl said, walking away with Hagi.

Then the group seperated.

'Well, this is just great,' Michelle thought as she walked down the seemingly endless beach. 'I have to walk down this damn beach when I could be eating vegie-ramen with tea.'

A seagull flying by her made her nervously duck out of the way, almost touching the icky foamy water.

"Ugh!" she exclaimed, eatching herself.

'Still though,' she thought as she continued down the sand. 'I remember the days when I was treated like shit cause kids didn't understand me. Hell, people still give me shit. Now I'm used to it. But that little girl... she deserves better. She shouldn't be victimized because of the way she is inside. It's not her fault.'

'It isn't your fault either,' her mind said.

She shrugged. 'That's debatable.'

Just then, she heard crying.

"Hello?" she called out. "Red-eyed niece of Kai whose name escapes me? You there? Hello?"

As she continued to walk the crying got closer until she realized it was coming from behind a crumpled rock on the beach. She then walked behind it to see the girl sitting in the fedal position, bawling her eyes out.

'Great, kid stuff. I just had to be the one to find her.'

"Hey," Michelle crouched down to the girl's level. "it's okay. Um... everyone's searching for you. Actually, I should call them and tell them you're here."

Just as Michelle pulled her cellphone out of her pocket, the girl pulled her face from her knees and exclaimed, "DON'T!" making Michelle drop her cell in surprise.

When Michelle looked to the girl her surprise grew. Her red eyes were glowing.

'Please Lord don't tell me she just fed and is looking for desert!' she thought.

"I don't want them to see me like this, I'm a monster."

'Oh, jeez. Now I'm going to have to explain to this girl with glowing red eyes that she's not a monster. Okay, no, enough sarcasm, this girl feels bad enough.'

"You're not a monster," Michelle said.

"I'm a freak!"

"You're not a freak..." Michelle sighed. "Okay, I'm not gonna lie, you're totally a freak. But not because of your life or what people say about you, it's because you're just too good to fit in this world and that's what makes you a freak. And honestly, honey, I've been a freak all my life and I gotta tell you, it is way better than fitting in."

The girl didn't talk, only stared at the white haired woman and sniffled.

"I mean when you're normal you gotta worry about making others happy and you yourself aren't happy. Wouldn't you rather be a happy freak than an unhappy normie?"

The girl wiped her eyes and sniffled.

"So don't you think it's time to stop hiding and come back to your faily who loves and accepts you?"

She nodded her head and took Michelle's hand when she offered it to her, pulling her up along with her self-esteem.

"Now, time to call Kai," Michelle said, picking up her phone and punching in Kai's number. "Kai, I found her. Yep. We'll meet you at the car, don't forget to call the others. Okay. See you there." She closed her phone. "Kay, we need to walk now."

The girl nodded and followed Michelle's lead back to where she'd just come from.  
As they walked the girl began to get tired and slower.

"Are you okay?" Michelle asked, slowing down.

"Today was the day I was supposed to get another blood transfusion. Same with sis. If we don't we get real tired."

'Oh hell.'

"Oh, uh, I dunno what to um... say," Michelle said akwardly.

Just then the girl completely fell flat on her face.

"Ah!" Michelle exclaimed, picking her up.

"The reason why my eyes were glowing was because I was about to feed, but didn't," the girl said.

'Feed? What the hell? What does she know about feeding?'

"I know Kai doesn't want us to know about being able to aquire blood through more than a transfusion but we both know feeding would make us stronger than a transfusion. It's in our blood," the girl said weakly.

"You need to feed right now, don't you?" Michelle asked, worried.

The girl looked away before nodding slightly.

"Hold on a sec," Michelle said, getting onto her feet to think.

'Seagull?' she looked around at the mocking seagulls but nothing to kill one with. 'Damn it. What about Kai? No, it'd take him at elast 10 minutes to get here from where he is. Ah, hell, I don't like the way this looks...'

"How much blood you need?"

The girl looked weaker by the second.

"Enough to get me to full health would be like a baggy. Enough to get me on my feet would be like 5 drops," she said dryly.

"How much would hold you over for about 20 minutes?" Michelle asked, feeling light headed.

"About hm, 20 drops? Why?"

"Because either way one of us is passing out before Kai gets here," Michelle sighed. "but for you it could be death, whereas I'd survive. Shit."

Michelle pulled her cellphone back out and typed in Kai's number.

"What is it?" the girl asked.

"Save your strength," Michelle said gravely as Kai picked up. "Kai, you need to get here in the next 20 minutes. Don't ask why, just get here. Kay, bye," she put her phone away then stared into the girl's eyes.

"When your auntie wakes up, remind her of who saved your ass," Michelle said, holding out her arm to the girl.

'That way she won't have a reason to be mad at me for kissing Hagi,' her mind rang just before she felt teeth in her wrist and darkness surround her.

'Where am I?' as Michelle's first thought when she opened her eyes to see Hagi's shirt in her face. No coat.

"She's still not breathing! Look how pale she is!" a voice said.

Just as they spoke, Michelle felt herself take a long awaited breath.

"Wh..." she attempted to speak, pushing away from Hagi's chest, then--" AH!" pain shot throughout her body from her left wrist.

"She's up," Kai said.

Just as he spoke, Hagi stopped holding her tight that she could see where she was and what was going on.

The sun was setting on the beach, everyone was crowded around her. She was freezing but had on a coat? So confusing. Hagi was close but not in her view.

'Wait, I'm on Hagi right now, aren't I?' she thought, turning her head to see his face not too much higher than hers.

"Are you okay? Can you breathe?" Hagi asked, his voice for once, filled with emotion she'd never heard before.

"Uh," Michelle could hardly get herself to make words. She was so weak. And tired.

"Michelle, stay with me," he said, holding onto her tighter.

"I'm fin..." she attempted to say as he nearly squeezed the life out of her.

"Hagi, get a grip!" Kai said.

"Yeah, Mr. Quiet, you're gonna squish her!"

Hagi stopped squeezing her so tight and she could feel blood begin to circulate throughout her body again.

"What's going... um, on?" Michelle asked in a daze.

"You saved me," the red-eyed girl said, walking closer. "but you almost died to do it. So I... I gave you some of my blood to see if you'd be okay... it was worth a shot."

As reality set in, Michelle found herself feeling very distant of her physical body.

"What... are you trying to say?" she asked through tunnel vision.

"You woke up," blue eyes said hopefully.

"Am I.... " Michelle couldn't get herself to say the word. "like Hagi?"

Kai shrugged. "We don't know. After swallowing her blood your body didn't thrash around like it does when it does normally with a chevalier. You just woke up. Maybe it's because your're female and so far chevaliers have only been males..."

"We must get you to Julia," Hagi said, looking into her eyes with icy intensity. "Can you move?"

'The question is more of "Do I WANT to move?"' her mind thought.


	14. Chapter 14

"A female chevalier, huh?"

David's words hardly made sense to Michelle as she tried to focus on staying awake at Julia's lab.

"Someone..." she breathe as she felt herself begin to sway. "help me..."

Then darkness.

'How did this day even happen?' her mind wondered as it swirled in darkness. 'It was raining, Hagi played the cello for me. Then we went to Omoro's but Kai wasn't there for once. I should've known then that things wouldn't be normal. We found out one of the twins had run away. We split up to find her. I found her. She was dying so I gave her my blood. Ugh, just thinking about it makes me feel woozy. Then she took too much blood and to save my life gave me some of hers. Everyone was freaked out so they brought me to Julia's lab/hospital. She extracted blood from me and tested it. When she mised it with the other twin's blood it crystalized, just like a chevaliers would. Just when she was starting to understand what was going on that asshole, David shows up and started being a dick. Ugh, just cause he's married to Julia doesn't give him the right to act up when she's working...'

Just as she began to remember who she was the light nearly blinded her.

"I've got you," soft words said as she felt herself falling, then caught.

Even though it had felt like an eternity unconscious, Michelle had only passed out for a second. Her body hadn't even hit the floor. Hagi caught her.

"I'm," her voice felt foreign and distant, nothing felt real. "a chevalier?"

"It looks that way," Julia said, her light blue eyes shrouded by long blonde hair showed astonishment.

"Don't be so sure," Hagi said, laying Michelle down on the table she had been sitting on.

She was so out of it she hardly cared she was wearing an ugly hospital gown.

"What is it?" David asked, just as Julia realized what Hagi was implying.

"Not a female chevalier," she gasped. "a third queen."

Everyone in the room's attention focused on Julia as she spoke.

"Chevaliers are male to be knights fo the queen and to mate with the other to keep the species alive so they couldn't ever be female. You also said her body didn't contort from the shock of transofrming into a chevalier. But a queen... what if her blood is repelling of both queens?"

David gasped and Hagi took a step back. Michelle reached a hand up to grab onto Hagi's coat. She didn't want to be alone in the spinning world.

"Don't go," she breathed.

hagi turned around and said, "I'm not going anywhere."

They watched as Julia called the other twin in to get blood drawn to test it against Michelle's.

As the tests went on, Michelle felt herself awake and stable.

"Moment of truth," Julia said as she mixed the two girl's blood into one test tube. The mixture exploded into a frenzy of crystalization that spread across the desk.

"Incredible," David said.

"A third queen made this generation," Julia said. "This a complete surprise for the chiropteran race! Michelle," Julia began walking across the room to the disoriented girl. "we will need to test the extend of your blood's ability but it will take time. So please, in the meantime whatever you do, do not share your blood or anyone else's blood with you. Who knows what could happen."

"Isn't that the rules of kindgergarden?" Michelle asked in a drunk (even though she was completely sober) laugh. "No cutting your clothes with the scissors, no eating the glue, no sharing your blood with anyone else because you might be a chiropteran, ect. ect."

"I'm serious," Julia said.

"Yeah, yeah now I'd like to go home and sleep so..." Michelle began to get up off the table. When her feet touched the floor, she forgot she wasn't wearing socks. "Where the hell are my socks?"

"Sit down, Michelle," David commanded.

"You don't own the friggin place," Michelle snapped back. "Now, will someone get my fucking socks?"

As Hagi thumbed through her articles of clothing for her socks she became impatient.

"Fuck it, I'll leave without socks," she said, walking dizzily towards the door. Just as she was almost there, the room began to spin. She reached out to a chair to each herself with when it disappeared.

'Cold hard ground, here I come,' she thought.

But it wasn't cold hard ground that caught her, it was cool comfy arms.

"Michelle," Hagi whispered.

"I just wanna go hope," she said with tears in her sleepy eyes.

"What's going on in here-- is she all right?" it was Kai.

"Get her clothes, Kai," Hagi instructed, picking her up and putting his coat on her freezing body.

"What the hell are you doing?" David yelled.

Neither one of them responded, just continued doing what they were.

"She needs to be examined!" David continued. "She could die!"

His words made Hagi stiffen, but he didn't say anything to it. He just picked Michelle up in his arms and stood up.

"David," Julia said, putting an arm on him.

"If anything comes up, we'll call you," Kai said, meeting Hagi at the door.

As they left the room, Michelle stared into David's eyes.

'He's not as cold as uncaring as he pretends to be,' she thought to herself.

Then, they were off.

*

"What in the hell am I wearing?" Michelle laughed when she saw herself in the mirror the next morning. Hagi's long black coat hung loosely open to reveal her ugly hospital gown on her pale shapey frame. "And yo let me go out like this?" she laughed, turning to Hagi.

"Hagi was laying on her bed with his arms folded behind his head. His white shirt was unbuttoned most of the way, why Michelle didn't know. It wasn't as if he ever got (physically speaking) hot, he was perfect. Still though, she wasn't complaining, if she sit and stare at his beauty for eternity, she would.

'His hair's even down for Christ's sake!' she thought, trying to be cool.

"Hagi? Hello? Earth to Hagi?" she said when he didn't respond.

Through what Michelle thought was the most amazing moment of her life, Hagi slowly opened his gorgeous pale blue eyes and looked at her.

She shook off her blush to distract herself said, "What's with you?"

"I thought you were to be getting dressed," he said innocently.

Michelle immediately felt herself get hot and felt like the biggest doof on the planet. Still though, she couldn't hold in her laughter and before she knew it, she was falling over laughing hysterically.

"I'm an idiot," she said through gasps of laughter. "of course you'd do that. Only YOU would do that! You're the perfect gentleman!"

Hagi's gaze became concerned through her hysteria.

"Stop staring at me like I'm crazy! Come on, that was funny," she said, wiping a tear.

"You're still you," he said, closing his eyes again, back to his regal cat-like pose.

"Of course I am!" she replied, turning back to her mirror, taking off her ugly outfit and putting on a long black dress. "Just because my blood changed doesn't mean I'm a different person. Honestly, I don't know what I am, but I still know who I am and that's Michelle."

When Hagi didn't speak she got annoyed. "You don't believe me?"

It was only when he felt Michelle climbing on his body like a cat, Hagi opened his eyes. When his eyes opened they pierced through hers like a knife. She froze.

"No," he said softly. "you are still you. I believe you if it is what you say."

"But of your own judgement that you don't believe the same," she replied, matching his intensity.

"You are who you choose to be and if you choose that you are Michelle then you are. Either way, it doesn't make a difference of how I feel about you."

"Hagi, you are everything to me," she said, getting closer. Her eyes nearly touching his but not so close that they lost focus. "and I want you to be honest with me if I change. I don't want you to accept anything from me that isn't genuine."

Hagi then wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her to his body and so that his mouth was right by her ear.

"Does that mean I can burn the wig?" he asked in the deepest heartfelt voice he'd ever used.

"You can burn anything you want," Michelle replied as soft as he was. Then, she pulled her face back to meet his. Desire swept through body of them and in an instant they locked lips so tight the jaws of life couldn't tear them apart.

Shame? Worry? Fear? HA! Michelle was on fire for the cellist whom she'd wanted since the moment she'd met him.

As their bodies moved together so vigorously it was only in an insant she noticed the light pouring in from the window on her face from now being under him.

"Hold on a sec," she said, breaking away from his grip and moving at almost chiropteran speeds to the window to shut the curtains.

Just before she went to shut the curtains, she stared at the gorgeous man infront of her in the light before things would go dark. At the same time, she thought about the idea of what was about to happen.

For the split second she looked at him he was laying there, on the bed, so perfectly she had to remind herself he was real. His shirt was completely torn open and his hair a long black mess. The look on his face was unlike anything she'd seen before. Completely controlled by his feeling of desire. he wanted her, as much as she wanted him, surprisingly. What the problem? Thre he was, the man of her dreams, waiting for her. Why couldn't she move?

'Okay, um,' a voice in her head said. 'You're about to get it on with the hottest most perfect for you guy in existance and there's a problem?'

'Yeah, you're both two responsible adults. Go for it!' another said.

'Yeah, I should right?' she thought. 'I'm worried over nothing.

And with that thought she closed the curtains and ran over to the awaiting arms of the man of her dreams.

As they picked up where they left off Michelle began to wonder to herself if this was right.

'Is this even us right now? I mean, yeah we're both had this building up between us forever but is now the time for it?'

Just as thing became more serious, she called, out, "Hagi?"

"Yes?" he whispered between kisses.

"Is this right?" she asked.

"Are you having second thoughts?" his voice more serious. Everything haulted.

'Yes you are! Just say it!' her conscience screamed.

"You may be the man of my dreams," she spoke slowly as her dreams crashed.

'What are you doing?!!!' her desire screamed in horror.

"But Saya is the girl of yours," she said it fast. 'Fast like a bandaid' was the term she used. "H-hagi, I love you," tears came to her eyes as she spoke. "so much. More than you'll ever know but... this isn't right anymore. S-- saya told you it'd be okay to feel human but, I'm n-not anymore so... wouldn't it be wrong to keep this up if I'm not?"

"Michelle," Hagi said softly, holding her tiny face in his hands. "no matter what you will always be human inside. Your blood doesn't change anything."

"Yeah, but yours does. Hagi, you're Saya's chevalier, not mine. No matter how much I wish you were. Your blood belongs to her because it was through her blood that you're alive today. And it is to her I have to thank and honor to having you be friends with today. I would never want to be the 'other girl' between you two. I love you too much to put you through that."

"Michelle... I am so sorry," Hagi said, turning back into himself. "I never realized I was putting you through so much. I am so sorry. I don't know what came over me..."

"Hey, no problem," Michelle said, patting his shoulder as she tried to to hold back her sobs of 'WHY THE FUCK DID I JUST DO THAT I'M SUCH AN IDIOT'.'

'You know you're never gonna get to sleep with him now," a voice said, others agreed.

'I know!' her mind sobbed. 'but it's okay.'

"Friends still?" Hagi asked.

"The best," Michelle replied with a sob.

*To be continued*


	15. Chapter 15

"Are you feeling all right?"

Michelle immediately broke out of her sulking trance she'd been in for hours now.

"Wha?" she asked in the most disappointed voice she'd ever used as she twirled her leftover vegie ramen.

"Michelle," Hagi hummed with worry.

"I'm fine," she said with a frown, taking a bite.

It had been another day for Michelle and Hagi to be trapped in her apartment becauase of rain. This time they'd decided to watch Michelle's favorite black and white movies in the dark on her couch. Not the usual cello practice for hours.

Hagi frowned at her frown and turned his attention back to the tv.

As they watched the dark tv and innocent romances that took place on it, they both felt the cold stab of restless misery.

"I'mma go put this away, I can't eat," Michelle said, getting up.

For once, Hagi didn't offer to take out her dish for her. He figured she needed a break from her misery, if only for a moment.

'Damn it!' she wanted to scream a sshe put her noodles back in the fridge. 'I had him in the palm of my hand but let him go. For what? A girl who hardly understands him?! I'm much better for him anyway!'

'Stop,' her conscience said. 'you know that would be wrong. God wouldn't want you to. You knew getting into this, Hagi was unavailable and that is how he shall stay. Don't you think it's about time you stopped destroying relationships due to jealousy?'

'But this time it's different!'

'Nonesense, that's what you say every time to justify your crooked plan of lust. In the end you realize it was wrong to do what you did and are misreble anyway. Stop being such a melancholy.'

'But that's who I am, you know as well as I do that's my personality type. You're a part of me too!'

'But I'm the good side. The side that thinks. Speaking of thinking, did you even consider what that'd do to Hagi? You, seducing him and leading him away from his queen who he'd been with for over 100 years. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself and your friendship would be over, just like any meaningful relationship you've ever had with a man. Isn't a friendship of chastity better than one of corrupt lust?'

'Shut up!'

Before she knew it, Michelle was clutching the sides of her head in pain.

'No,' she combed her hair back down. 'No, I can't let him know I'm like this. He must think I'm a weirdo as it is. He can't know.'

With that final thought she was back into the living room, plopping down on the cushion next to Hagi, then realizing they were almost touching.

She shook off her worry and went back to watching the tv.

"Why can't life be like that now?" she complained.

"What do you mean?" Hagi asked.

"Like that. Innocence, happiness, elegance. I want that."

Just when she realized Hagi had all of those qualities she turned red and looked away.

'That's an oops,' a voice mocked her.

'He SO didn't catch that,' another laughed.

"Michelle, I must ask you a serious question," Hagi said, turning to her.

"Hm?" she hummed, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

'You're not fooling anyone, especially not the guy you just tried to fu--'

"What is it, Hagi?" she coughed, cutting off the voice in it's tracks.

"Have you felt weak since?" Hagi asked. "Like you're ready to go to sleep for a long time?"

Michelle laughed involuntarily. "Not more than I do every day of my life."

Hagi thought for a moment before responding. "Have you felt a craving-- a need of blood?"

Michelle shrank back. "Not anymore than usual," she joked.

"This is serious," Hagi said.

"I am being serious. Hagi, I feel fine. If I start feeling weird you'll be the first I tell. You and Julia. I don't like that David guy. Kai would worry, as would the twins whose names I never can remember!"

Hagi nodded and looked back at the tv.

"Um, Hagi, can I ask you something?" Michelle asked nervously.

"Yes," Hagi said.

"Once, a few years ago I asked Kai if you'd ever had friends other than me and he said none other than Saya. He seemed surprised that you took any kind of liking to me. Hagi, why is that? Did you used to be like really cold?"

Hagi shook his head once. "I used to be different when Saya and I would fight chiropterans. But it wasn't until it was all over that I started acting like myself again. You helped me remember who I was."

Michelle nodded.

"Sometimes, I forget who I am too, Hagi," she said honestly. "Sometimes I let my emotions take over and mess things up for me, like the only healthy relationship I've ever had with a man that's lasted more than a few months. I'm sorry if I forget myself, Hagi. But... you'll help me remember again, right?" she looked upa t him hopeful.

"Yes," he said, putting an arm around her shoulders carefully. When she was within reaching distance he kissed her temple softly. Tension eased in their auras as well as tv's scene as the lovers kissed before the 'fin'.

*

"No, I don't have any craving for blood, I'm not about to go into a coma and I haven't turned into a demon-like monster so far. No offense, Hagi. Now, please can I go? It finally stopped raining after all this time and we wanna see Kai," Michelle said to Julia in an irritated breath.

"Wow, when you get your voice back you sure as hell use it," David said smugly as he sat in the corner.

Michelle flashed him a fake smile, raising her hand to flip him off when Hagi caught it and put it down to her side calmly.

"I'm sorry you're getting so frustrated," Julia said, adjusting her glasses. "But it's strange for a queen not to be feeling weak after not having blood since waking up. For the usual queen, they consume at least a baggy of blood once a week. It's been longer than that for you and you say you're still doing fine."

"Have you considered I'm not a queen?" Michelle said dryly.

"Everything in your blood says you are, but on the outside you are unchanged. Tell me, in the possible case that you really are a chevalier, have you felt the ability to transform your body?"

"No," Michelle shrugged, looking at Hagi. "And I still feel that I require food and rest. hagi says he doesn't."

"Could it all be in your mind? Making yourself still feel human and feel that you require these things that you truly don't, could it be just in your head?"

"I don't know," Michelle said honestly. "I usually have a firm grip of my consciousness and what's going on in my mind and nothing is saying that I'm making this up."

"Maybe you shoudl see how long you can go without those things, then. Perahps if I had you in an examination chamber for 24 hours with no food or bed, being monitored, I could see if it was really in your head or not."

"Hell no!" Michelle exclaimed, jumping out of her chair. "I'm not gonna be your lab rat! Even if it IS in my head, who's it hurting? So what if I still feel human? Hagi does!"

"We have officially classified Hagi as a chevalier though. What he does on his life now is his choice--"

"So what? I don't have a choice because you need to mark me down in your chiropteran book and are having a tough time figuring out what the hell I am?"

"Calm," Hagi said, putting a hand on her shoulder. Of course, Michelle did as he said.

"We're trying to help you," David said, standing up for his wife.

"But I don't need it," Michelle said, and with that she was out the door.

"You look at me like I'm going to burst into flames," Michelle said, looking up at Hagi innocently.

"You should have stayed," Hagi said.

"I don't like being told what to do," Michelle said, changing her gaze to look out the window to the setting sun.

Hagi didn't argue with her, instead he stayed silent as her for the rest of the bus ride to Omoros.

When they arrived, they walked quickly to the pub that awaited their friends. As Michelle knocked on the door, she noticed it was slowly opening.

"Come on in," Kai said from inside.

When they got in, Michelle sat on her usual place at the bar and Hagi at a table behind.

"Sup, guys," Kai said, walking up to Michelle.

"Not much," Michelle answered. "back from Dr. I know nothing's office. David was especially pleasant," she added with a sneer.

"So it went bad?" Kai asked understandingly.

"Those psychos tried to keep me in a room for 24 hours without food or a bed being watched on surveilence to see if needing those things was in my head!"

"What do you mean 'in your head'?"

"I mean, they think I'm subconsciously making up human needs because I wanna believe I'm still human or some shit. Hmph!"

"Well you sound like you," Kai laughed.

"As long as my name is Michelle I will be me," Michelle said intensely.

Kai nodded.

Just then, a strange pain hit the back of her head, making Michelle gasp in surprise.

"What is it?" Hagi and Kai asked at the same time.

She shook her head. "I don't know."

As they all stood tensely, a door across the room opened and the twins walked in.

"What's... going on?" the blue-eyed one asked.

Her sister shrugged, walking up to Michelle.

"How's your wrist?"

Her off-topic question pulled Michelle out of her trance, making her look at her.

"I haven't thought about it," she said, pulling up her sleeve to the bandaid wrapped around the veiny part of her wrist. She had worn long sleeves for the past week so that people wouldn't think she had been trying to kill herself or anything with the wound. The slightly more professional look made her look more like Hagi.

"Careful," Hagi said, now behind her as she slowly picked up the gauzey wrap.

When she finally tore it off, everyone gasped in surprised to see there was no wound.

"Damn," Kai said surprised. "that was a big hole too! It would've needed stitches or something normally."

"It's completely gone," Michelle said, touching it. "What does this mean?"

"It means it's time to go back to Julia," Hagi said simply.

"Yup," Kai agreed.

"The twins nodded their heads.

"Ah, damn it," Michelle groaned.

*To be continued*


	16. Chapter 16

_"Careful what you do,_

_cause God is watching your every move._

_Hold my hand in the dark street._

_For if you do I'll know that I'll be safe._

_Even if I'm far away and alone,_

_I can be sure that you'll find me there,_

_this I know._

_You draw me close for a while, so quiet._

_You tell me everything._

_If I forget what you say, then you'll come to me,_

_and tel me again._

_As you'd tell me once again..._

_But what happens when I know it all then what should I do after that?_

_What then?"_

Michelle's singing rang throughout the halls of the hospital, sending a painful chill up Hagi's back. He didn't want for her to go through this ordeal by fire and feel so alone, but he she needed to, for her sake.

"It's been 7 hours," Hagi said when David walked by. He had only been a few feet down the hall of the room she was staying in and hadn't moved since she was placed there.

"And your point is?" David didn't stop walking. "We won't know anything until it's over. 24 full hours."

"I shouldn't have made her come here," Hagi whispered to himself.

"You did what was best for everyone," David said before disappearing into Julia's office.

'She must feel so alone," Hagi thought to himself. 'But for the test to be accurate, that is what she must be. Alone.

As her lonely soprano songs continued, Hagi felt himself long for her comfort in his own self. He couldn't stand her sadness. Then, after a medly of dark poetic pieces came a happier, hopeful lyric.

_"How wonderful life is now you're in the world."_

He recognized it from her soundtrack of Moulin Rouge. Was she trying to tell him that she wasn't mad at him?

'Oh, Michelle...'

Hagi then got up and walked to her door, putting his human hand on it as if he were to melt through it to be wih her.

"I'll be back soon," he whispered before heading out into the foggy morning.

As he walked on the sidewalk he tried to advert his attention from his hurting friend, to no avail. Trying not to think about her was only make him think of her more. As he passed by familiar places they'd hung out together, he felt painfully nostalgic.

The park they'd performed cello duets for the citizens of the town, the food stand Michelle loved because of their tea, everywhere he looked he saw her, until...

"Saya," he gasped.

A Japanese girl who'd cauthc his attention as she walked by immediately stopped at his word and met his gaze. She was confused but one look into her brown eyes made Hagi realize she was not Saya.

Hagi continued walking as the girl turned to her friends, said she didn't know him, and hurried off to school.

*

After another opera, Michelle was out of songs.

'Damn, my life's playlist is only about hm... how long has it been?' she thought to herself. 'Oh right, assholes won't give me a freaking watch either! Oh, and I'm not allowed to sit, only stand. Not even lean on the walls!'

"Where's Hagi?" she asked into the camera.

After waiting over a minute for a reply she said, "I want Hagi."

Exhaustion swept through her as she remembered she was alone and felt her legs kick out from under her. This time, there was no Hagi to catch her, only the cold hard floor.

"Uhg," she thudded as her face hit the floor.

"Michelle, are you okay?" Julia's voice came on the speaker.

She didn't respond, only tried to push herself up off the floor. Her right arm gave out, rolling her onto her back. The bright light above her was burning her eyes but she couldn't move.

"Ha... gi..." her breathing got slower and her heart rate with it. "What's happening to me?"

Then with that breath, she flat-lined.

*

When Hagi walked back into the building, he noticed Michelle's door was open. He immediately ran to it to see she wasn't in the room.

He ran back to Julia's office to see it was empty as Michelle's cell. Frantically, he continued running until he sensed her.

"Michelle!" he exclaimed, bursting into the room he felt her presence.

"Hagi, what the hell?" David said behind a sanitary mask and scrubs.

"David, get him out of here!" Julia said across the room by the operating table, along with several other doctors.

Hagi forced past David and other doctors untili his horror stopped him in his tracks. There, on the table was his Michelle, completely pale and cold. Her chest wasn't moving.

"Hagi, go!" Julia said, rubbing her electric irons together and putting them on Michelle's open-shirtted chest.

"Clear!" she said.

As the electricity went from the irons to Michelle's body, her eyes opened and her back arched in the air.

"Hagi," she breathed, falling back to the table. Her heart beat died again, but her eys didn't leave the man who stood before her.

"She spoke!" a doctor exclaimed.

"We're losing her!" another said.

"Again, clear!"

Her body julted up again, her eyes not moving but her heartbeat was back.

Everyone waited a minute in shock as her heartbeat got faster and faster.

"A human's heart can't go that fast," someone said.

"A human," Julia said. "she's..."

"A chiropteran," Hagi said through his traumatized expression.

Immediately, he realized what had just happened and fury took hold of him. He turned around, grabbed David by the throat and shoved him against the wall. His bandages exploded from his claw.

"You said this was safe," Hagi said through barred teeth.

"We had no idea this would happen!" David choked out.

"When will this end? When will she be ok?" Hagi asked, turning to Julia.

"We don't know!" Julia said, rushing over to her husband's aid.

Hagi's grip tightened on David's neck until he turned blue.

"Hagi, stop!" Julia pleaded.

Hagi glared at her before dropping David to the floor.

"How does it feel to watch the one you love almost die?" he asked coldly, walking to the table. "Michelle," he whispered.

The girl's eyes were glassy and wide, not leaving Hagi's face for a minute.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

She didn't respond, only stared vacantly.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked to Julia.

"She's in shock, let her rest," Julia said.

Hagi then stepped back and let the doctors take care of his friend.

*

As the doctors worked on her body, testing it, putting needles in it, Michelle felt nothing. She couldn't speak or move. Only stare around at what was happening.

"How did this happen?" she wondered.

Her mind was too busy keeping her body functioning she couldn't get it to think of anything else. But, through her haze she knew something was different about her recovering body. It was stronger, more conscious, more awake. Even though she was hardly awake she felt fully aware. Her body was becoming what it should be, chiropteran.

"How do you feel?" the question brough Michelle out of her sleep.

She opened her eyes to an empty room, the walls were white. Only one person was there, Julia.

"What happened?" she responded in a monotone.

Julia shook her head. "Your body collapsed under exhaustion and well, you died. After bringing you back, your chiropteran blood finally kicked in and kept you alive."

"So what am I?"

"A chiropteran, but more specifically we don't know yet. You're still a mystery. Honestly, we don't have a category for your specific chiropteran. You're a combination of a queen and a chevalier."

"Where is Hagi?"

"In the hallway. He stayed as close as he can since you went into cardiac arrest. He can't come into this room, I'm afraid. It's completely sanitray."

"I want to see Hagi. Can I leave?"

"You shouldn't move, you're still recovering."

Immediately, Michelle felt her personality come back and in her usual voice said, "Fuck recovering, where is Hagi?"

Julia shook her head. "Outside the door," she pointed to the giant double doors.

Michelle forced herself up with her shaking arms. Swinging her feeble legs to the side of the bed, she began to climb out when Julia came to that side of the bed with a wheelchair.

Michelle smirked at her, remembering all of her experiences with wheelchairs before grabbing it from her and plopping into it.

"I got it from here," she said, rolling herself to the door when she realize her atire. "Seriously, who keeps dressing me? This is the second time I've worn this cursed dress! Soon as I can I am outlawing the shit out of this thing!"

Before pushing through the door, she heard Julia chuckle, "You're still you."

When she made it to the hallway, she didn't have to look around to see Hagi directly against the wall.

"Michelle!" he said, hurring towards her.

"Hagi," a smile came across Michelle's face as she hugged her friend, inhaling his familiar scents to comfort herself.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, still crouching on one knee to be at her level.

"Better now. How are you?"

Hagi looked to the floor. "I am the last person you should be concerned for."

"Bullshit, you're always #1 on my list."

"But it's my fault you're here. I forced you to come here."

"Eh, what happens happens," Michelle said with a wave of her hand.

"Is there anything I can get you?"

"Hmm," Michelle looked around the room before looking back into his eyes. "Some vegie ramen?

*To be continued*


	17. Chapter 17

"My favorite thing about Tokyo? Two words, Taco Bell!" and with that the diva was running across the street to her favorite American fast food restraunt.

It had been weeks since her chiropteran transformation but never once has Michelle shown her true form, nor has she needed to consume blood. She was still herself. So sure that she was still herself she was back on tour just as planned, this time in Tokyo with Hagi by her side.

When Hagi made it into the restraung behind her she was already ordering as fast as he could, in Japanese too.

"I didn't know you spoke Japanese so well," Hagi said when she finally finished.

"It's an essential to life to be able to say '3 cheesy bean and rice burritos with 2 caramel empanandas and a large water' in Japanese," she said. "I know I can afford more but this place has been my home since I was taking singing lessons in New York."

Hagi nodded his head as MIchelle grabbed her tray of food and headed for an empty table.

"So, this is my first performance with you there," Michelle said, taking a bite out of one burrito, nearly taking her hand with it.

"Yes, it is," Hagi said.

"And because of this miracle that I've decided to add you to my show," she said with a smile.

Hagi was honestly surprised but didn't show it. He waited for her to fully explain before speaking.

"You're going to play Bach's 5th suite prelude before I go on," she said, tearing into another burrito. "and you can't say no because you're already on the posters so," she stuck her tongue out at him.

Hagi's memory of the last time he had gone to an opera made him stiffen in his chair. Diva was singing to transform humans into chiropterans, all the while Amshell and him fought.

"I hope that's okay," Michelle said with worry on her face.

"It's fine. I'm happy to help," Hagi said, breaking out of his nostalgia.

"Good," Michelle replied, back to eating. "I'd say you should practice but never once have you missed a note."

"Never once I played on stage," Hagi said. "I'll practice tonight."

"Kay, well, we'll get to the theatre in my limbo at about 5pm. There, we get ready, practice, blah, blah, blah, go on at 9. Got it?"

Hagi nodded.

"Kay, but for today I wanna go shopping. It calms my nerves."

"You said you don't get nervous," Hagi said.

"Well duh, not on a normal performance, but yeah you'll be there this time."

And with that Michelle sucked down the rest of her water and cleared her tray into the garbage.

"Come on," she said, putting her shades back on and heading out into the busy city of Tokyo.

*

Michelle was itching her wig while the woman at the register stared in awe at all of the clothing she was purchasing.

"What?" Michelle hissed, dropping her hand.

The woman stopped gawking and rang up her clothes.

"15,020 yen," the woman said.

Michelle handed her her credit card.

When the woman read the name on it she almost passed out.

"Mdiva--Mdiva--" she gasped.

"Shh!" Michelle said, grabbing the woman's mouth.

The woman nodded and began bagging her items.

"Damn, it's hard to be me!" Michelle said as she lead hagi out of the store. "that chic almost blew my cover!"

"If she didn't, this might," Hagi said through a muffled tone. The bags he held for her made it hard for him to see her, or where he was going for that matter.

"Nah," she said, waving her hand. "they'll just think I'm some high-ups daughter. Not to mention it's not like I could've just left without grabbing what I could, it's not like I get to shop in Tokyo every day!"

Hagi rolled his eyes but continued following her down the street.

When they made it to the car, Hagi carefully put everything in her trunk.

"I wanna go to that one now," Michelle said, walking towards another lit-up diamond store. "Catch up!" she called back.

Just as she made it to the store at the corner, her cellphone began ringing. She checked the caller ID before answering.

"Kai! This is a surprise, what's up, bud?" she said casually as she stood infront of the store. She could hear Hagi begin to walk back towards her.

"I was just wondering when you're performing tomorrow so I can watch it on tv," Kai said.

"Oh, that'd be tomorrow at 9--"

"Michelle get down!"

At Hagi's yell, Michelle immediately spun around, dropping her cellphone to see what was going on.

Hagi, mid sprint about 10 feet from her, yelling to her words she couldn't understand in slow motion. About 20 feet from her a man with a gun pointed at the store or her, which one she couldn't tell. As he fired the gun the bullet moved at her in slow motion.

'Is this for real?' she thought sarcastically as she moved at normal speed away from the path of the bullet.

When it crashed into the window behind her, everything went back to normal speed. Glass shattering, people screaming. By that time she was already 5 feet away from the scene.

Michelle watched in awe as Hagi tackled the man to the ground and people surroudning began screaming and running frantically.

"I'm alive," she breathed, looking up at the sky.

When the police finally made it to the scene, Hagi made it back to Michelle, who was sitting on a bench nearby.

"I don't now what surprised me more," she said, kicking her feet and looking at the sky. "the fact that someone had a gun in Japan or that I totally dodged its bullets."

"Apparently that man had been starting chaos all over Tokyo since he got that smuggled gun from his cousin in Vietnam," Hagi said, sitting down with her.

"So I'm just a random target, rather than I'm targetted because I'm famous? That unforgivable bastard," she laughed.

As they sat in uncomfortable silence, Michelle remembered her cellphone.

"Shit!" she exclaimed, getting up.

"What is it? Are you hrut?" Hagi asked, mimicking her motion.

"No! I was on the phone with Kai when he shot at me, I need to call him back and tell him I'm okay."

"Sit," Hagi said, putting Michelle back on the bench. "I'll find your phone, it's a crowded mess over there."

"Kay," Michelle said as Hagi walked away.

'No, I understand why I became a chiropteran,' she thought silently. 'because of moments like this. I can't afford to die yet.'

When Hagi came back with her phone, she thanked him then punched in Kai's number.

"Michelle? Are you okay? What the hell happened?!" Kai asked frantically as he picked up on the first ring.

"I'm fine," she responded calmly. "Some guy shot at me, missed and all hell broke loose but I'm fine."

"You scared the hell out of me! You were talking then all I heard was a gunshot and the line went dead."

Michelle giggled at his worry. "You should thank your niece for me. Without her having turned me into well whatever I am, I would've been dead. I dodged the bullet."

"Wow, really? I'll have to tell her that but right now I have to tell everybody you're okay, they're all as freaked out as I was."

"Okay, but first Kai, what I was saying before, 9pm is when I go on. Make sure to watch."

*

"And... finished!"

Michelle opened her yees as her makeup artist moved out of the way so she could see herself in the mirror.

Her eyelids were as usual, painted black, only this time with sparkles. Her skin was its usual pale but like her eyes, glittery. Her eyebrows were painted on over what she had of real ones like usual and her lips were dark ruby red, which would most likely appear pink under all the stage lights. She had long jeweled eyelashes on over her real ones, matching the jewels around her eyes and the bindi on her forehead. She wore a diamond labret in the middle of her bottom lip to match. Her hair was up in an intricate bun with more diamond jewels. Her dress was long and flowing dark blue and black diamond studded, so long it had to be carried by two people behind her. Because it was strapless she wore long onyx and white diamond necklace that covered most of her chest. Her earrings matched.

"Damn, gotta be my best look yet," she said, holding back a smile so her makeup wouldn't crack.

"Definitely!" her makeup artists said together.

"Is Hagi ready?" she asked, getting up.

"Yeah, he finished about an hour before you," a woman said. He's about to go on."

"Then we need to hurry, I wanna see him before it!" Michelle said, running to the door with her dress holders hurrying behind her. When she came into the hallway she asked, "which way?"

One of her dressholders said, "To the left here."

Michelle followed her lead until she saw Hagi at the end of the hallway.

"Wait!" she yelled, begining to run.

"Michelle?" Hagi turned around. "what is it?"

When Michelle was within arms distance she wrapped her arms around his shoulders as she had done thousands of times before and hugged him tightly, making the girls behind her 'aw' in response.

Michelle pulled away and looked into his eyes. "Kick ass," she said.

Hagi nodded his head, smiling slightly.

"Thank you," he said.

"No problem."

Just then, a woman in a headset came running down the hall.

"You have to go on now," she said to Hagi.

Hagi nodded and went off with her. It was at that moment Michelle realized how truly breathtaking he looked. His hair was extra shiny, tied in an expensive looking bow with his usual bangs around his glowing face. He wore an expensive tux with his usual tails that made his elegance amplify. Everything about him was so perfect.

"Come this way backstage," one of her followers said, pointing to another doorway.

Michelle did as she said and went backstage to watch Hagi's performance.

"He's so handsome!" she heard someone say.

"Oh my lord, he's gorgeous!" another said.

"I wanna piece of that," said another.

"Back off, he's Diva's," said one of her dress carriers, addressing her as her nickname.

Michelle giggled at theri innocence about the gorgeous man walking across the stage with his cello in hand. They knew nothing about him yet they were as smitten as she'd been about him all her life.

"Shh, he's about to play," someone said, silencing the stage girls fangirling.

Michelle's excitement turned to peace as he began playing his song. For so long, so few people could be amazed by his playing as she'd been and now he could share his gift with the world.

"Hagi," she whispered to herself. "this is what I've longed to give you since the moment I heard your cello so long ago. I wanted the world to feel the way I had when I first heard you. Now, it's coming true."

She felt tears in her eyes but blinked them back. She couldn't afford to mess up her makeup now.

As his song continued she felt herself begin to calm to a sleepy state as it always made her.

"Diva, are you feeling all right?" someone asked.

"I'm fine," she whispered back, just as the song ended and the audience applauded, giving standing ovations.

"Looks like your'e on," the dress carriers said together.

As the aplause quieted down, the announcer introduced the diva of honor in Japanese. Michelle didn't knwo what he was saying until he said 'MdivaC' and her dress carriers said together, "Walk forward now."

"I've got it from here," Michelle said as the girls walked with her until she was only 5 feet from where she was supposed to stand. There, they dropped her dress and hurried backstage as she walked on her own.

The crowd immediately went into a roar of applause as the spotlight hit the diva.

Michelle nodded to her adoring fans as they slowly calmed down and let her sing.

As the orchestra before her played she came into the song with force and made her voice echo through the theatre with no need of a microphone.

I'm living my dream,' she thought to herself as she let the music carry her.

*To be continued*


	18. Chapter 18

"You guys seriously kicked ass!" Kai said on Michelle's cellphone. "Really, I had no idea Hagi would be there too!"

Michelle giggled. "Well, I'm glad you liked it. How's everyone there?"

"We're great. Told the twins about how you dodged that bullet. Now they want to shoot at eachother to see if they can do it too."

Michelle immediatley burst into laugher, so loud Hagi looked over in the back of the limo.

"Well, make sure they don't!" she breathed when she could speak.

"Well, duh!" Kai laughed.

"Hey, listen, I have to make it back to the states after today so I won't be able to see you Okinawa before I go. I'll call you though after the party, kay?"

"Okay, have fun."

"You too," Michelle giggled imagining the twins trying to shoot eachother with Kai between them.

As Michelle closed her phone, she felt Hagi's eyes on her like a hawk.

"Waht?" she asked.

"You didn't tell me you were leaving so soon," Hagi said.

"I'm sorry, manager just told me. Looks like you're flying to Okinawa solo. Don't worry, though, your ticket's already paid for."

"That's not what I'm worried about," Hagi said, looking down.

"Hm? You know, I don't have a problem flying either..."

"When will I see you again?"

His question caught Michelle off-guard.

'Is he... afraid to be alone? Is that it?'

Michelle furrowed her brow and scooted over to him. It was easier to move when she had switched into a shorter dress for the after party.

"Hagi," she began softly. "is that what's bothering you?"

Hagi didn't answer, only looked down painfully.

"Oh, Hagi, I didn't... I can cancel."

"No," he said, looking at her. "don't cancel... Tonight I-- I saw something in your eyes, you looked like you belonged there on stage. I won't let my selfishness take that from you."

"But I don't want you to be lonely," Michelle said.

At her words, Hagi, for once, laughed, making her flinch back in surprise.

'Did he just...?' her mind spun.

"Michelle," he said softly. "because of you I am never alone. Your spirit is always with me whether you're here or not."

"Hagi," Michelle breathed, dumbfounded by his depth. She hadn't realized he thought so highly of her. With a subconscious gesture, she reached her long hand to touch his face. He took her hand in his and held it there.

"I want you to be happy and life your dream," he said.

"I'll come back to you," she replied through a throat thick with tears. "as long as I'm alive I will always come back to you."

"You can't neglect your family though. Don't come back for my sake."

"You are my family, Hagi," she said with a smile. "I've officially adopted you. Kai too. And of course the twins and my blood. We're one big family."

Hagi nodded in agreement.

"Know what I wonder though?" Michelle asked, moving closer until her breath was on his neck.

"What is that?" Hagi asked softly.

"What would happen if our blood mixed?" she said with a sly smile.

"Would you like to find out?"

Just as Michelle was about to answer the limo stopped and the door, now to her back, opened.

"This way, MdivaC," a Japanese man said in poor English.

"Damn, looks like we'll have to try this again some other time," she said cooly, falling from Hagi's side and climbing out of the limo. When he didn't move she offered him her hand and asked, "You coming?"

Hagi took her hand ever so delicately and followed her into the limelight.

_"Hey, did you ever get around to naming your cello?"_


	19. Author's Note

*Writer's note*

Hello, this is Michelle, the writer of this story. I just wanted to explain this a little in case anyone is confused. Well, to start out this whole fanfic begins after Blood+ has ended. If you've seen every ep this should make sense to you on a philosophy level. Now what I wanted to do really was emphasize the character, Hagi, and what he'd do after Saya went b ack into hibernation. 'Would he meet friends?' or whatever. This is where I come in. I am exactally myself in this fanfic, which makes it easier and harder to write. Easier because I don't have to think, 'What would the character be thinking here?' but hard because I'm a **huge** Hagi fangirl and it's extremely hard for me to let Saya have him *grrrr*. BUT I have respect for Hagi and want him to be happy SO whatevs, I guess I can adjust to be his side friend (with benefits hehehe). Anyway, I hope you all are enjoying this story as long as it's been going. I really just didn't want to write another Hagi x Saya so I thought this could be an even deeper look into the character, Hagi, without him just to be Saya's mindless bitch. I wanted to give HIM personally a story of his own where he can be his real self, not just 'if that is what you wish' bullshit that he had in Blood+. so yes, there was my writer's note, I hope you enjoyed this deeper look into my fanfic. happy fangirling! :)

-by MC


	20. Chapter 20

Hello, everyone, it's Michelle again. I know, it's been eternity since I've updated this story, but honestly this is the first time I've read it in a long time. I had actually written out the next part to it to continue after chapter 19, however, it was only written in a notebook and was thrown out. It's only now that I realize how much I regret that fact, considering I just remembered how unfinished this story is and how much I miss writing it (considering it's the only one I've ever done so close to my heart).

Maybe I'll end up re-writing what was thrown out if I have time again, but for right now I'm sorry to say that this is the "end" of my story... for now. If it would (and possibly will) continue, it would've gone onto explain what happens with Michelle and Hagi when Saya wakes up, the complex love triangle involved, and OH YEA Nathan shows up :D (one of my favorite gay guys ever)...

If you're interested, feel free to send me a message or whatever.. you know, nothing TOO excited, a simple "OH MY GOD I LOVE YOU WRITE MORE" will suffice ;) (jk)

But in all seriousness, to those who read this story, I love you guys because I didn't really think it'd matter to anyone and apparently, it did.

Yours truly

MC~

MdivaC~

Michelle~

Hagi lover? XD we'll have to see~

*but I SO wish!*


	21. Apprentice section 2

_I'm gonna do it. I'm SO going to do it. Nothing's in my way because I am DOING IT! _Michelle's thoughts pounded in her mind as she walked down the street to Omoros. _When I see Hagi, I am SO kissing him again. I mean really, what's the harm? His girlfriend's gonna be comatose for another jillion years!_

It had been almost 2 years since she'd last seen Hagi, back when they performed in Tokyo. Since, she'd been busy with a world tour and had finally finished about two weeks back. Through all of her performances and tours, Hagi has always been the only thing on her mind.

Michelle held up her hand, reaching for the door handle just before her, thinking of the man who awaited inside, and just before she could make it-

"I'll see you guys later," said a voice from the inside. A familiar voice. A _female_ voice.

Michelle froze and with a burst of chiropteran speed, ran around the corner of the building and hid crouched down next to a dumpster.

There she walked, a beautiful teenage girl with shimmering black hair and dull red eyes. She wore a plain white t-shirt and jeans, but Michelle knew the figure that stood beneath.

_Oh shi-it!_ Her subconscious whined as she closed her eyes and pretended to be invisible. _How could she have woken up this early? Damn it all._

"Uh, Michelle? Why are you hiding?"

She then opened her eyes to look up and see the girl standing over her with a puzzled expression.

"You finally come back to town to... check out our recycling habits? I'd be sure you'd have wanted to see Hagi first."

"Oh, my God," Michelle sighed, releasing a gasp of breath in relief. "I thought you were Saya."

From far away, she looked much like her aunt but now close up Michelle realized that she'd seen that face too many times for it to have been her.

"Are you kidding? That's why you were hiding? Ahahaha," the red-eyed twin laughed. "From what I hear, you don't have much to be afraid of, I mean she doesn't carry that sword around with her anymore. Of course, what would I know? I was just a baby when I last saw her."

"You'd think I'd remember the one who made me this way," Michelle shook her head, standing up to face the girl. "Although, I still can't remember your name."

"Are you kidding? We've spent enough time together for you to have caught on by now! It's Hibiki."

"Right. I'll have to remember that... So, is Hagi inside?" Michelle asked with a blush. It was hard for her not to, especially when speaking his name. Something she hadn't done for a while now.

"Yep, he's been waiting for you. I wouldn't be surprised if he was counting the seconds we've been out here talking," Hibiki replied, rolling her eyes. "But yeah, I have to go run some errands, I'll catch you later."

As Hibiki walked one way down the street, Michelle regained her confidence (that had quickly blown away as soon as she thought she'd be seeing Saya) and marched back up to the door.

"This is it," she whispered.

Michelle entered the room as nonchalaunt as she could. Her gaze swept around the somewhat busy pub to see a familiar blue-eyed twin, Kai waving at the counter with a smile, and Hagi-

_Hagi..._

Hagi stood against the back wall with his arms crossed against his chest, his eyes halfway closed and his mouth curved up at the ends. It wasn't much expression, but it was enough to tell he saw her.

To Michelle, the world around her may as well have melted away once she saw him. A 'hey' from Kai faded into the air as she made her way across the room to her awaiting love-

_No. He can't be. He's Saya's._

_'Yeah, that girl you just hid next to a dumpster from,' a voice in her mind laughed._

With that realization, everything went back to normal and her dreamy gaze flopped back into reality. She continued the rest of the walk toward Hagi with heavy feet and her eyes concentrating intently on the floor beneath.

"Hi, Hagi," she said in a low voice.

In an instant, she was wrapped in his arms. She felt his cool body begin to melt her, his strong arms protect her. She hadn't thought of it for a while now, but she missed this sensation more than she liked being paid for her performances. If she never had to step on stage again to keep this feeling forever, she would.

_But it can't last._

Michelle then pulled away from his embrace and looked into his ice blue eyes.

"I've missed you," she admitted, then turned to look at Kai. "How's everyone been doing?"

"We're all good. Hibiki and Kanade just had a birthday."

"Yeah, madam MdivaC," the blue-eyed twin- her name must've been Kanade, Michelle then realized- said with a smirk. "I don't see you for about 2 years and you come with NO gifts?"

"I'll have to make it up to you," Michelle said with a yawn. "We can go shopping tomorrow."

"You're tired?" Hagi said cooly.

"Yeah, I'm a bit jetlagged. Japanese time is so off compared to American. I'd love to hang out with you guys some more but I think I'm going to end off to my apartment soon and take a nap."

"There's no need for that," Kai rolled his eyes. "You can always nap here. Go down the hall and make a right, our living room's there. You can crash on the couch for as long as you want."

"I think I will," Michelle replied with another yawn, waving her hand to Kai and making her way down the hall.

Everything had stayed the same way as it was when she left, other than the twins getting older and Kai becoming a more mature adult. The decorations and family pictures covering the walls were untouched, one picture in particular made Michelle stop in her tracks. It was a picture taken just before she became a chiropteran of Kai, the twins, Hagi and Michelle sitting at a table in Omoros. The twins were shooting spitballs at Kai, Kai's was fighting back with a plate as a shield. Michelle was laughing and Hagi stared adoringly at her in a moment that'd always stay frozen in time.

_I wonder if when Saya wakes up, this picture won't be here anymore._ Michelle wondered to herself as she walked into the living room.

Carefully dropping her purse onto the coffee table and falling carelessly onto the couch below, Michelle let her thoughts drain away.

"Would you like me to close the curtains?"

She darted her head to the doorway, where Hagi stood. His expression hadn't changed from seeing her first arrive.

"If you would," she replied, resting her head on a pillow and sighing deeply.

The room became more comfortable as the outside world disappeared, leaving only her and Hagi left. The muted light gave the room a cozy ambiance, making it easier for Michelle to relax.

_No obnoxious airline passengers, no screaming fans, no staring Japanese people shocked to see someone with white hair... Just Hagi and me... No one else..._

A smile came across her face when she closed her eyes and considered the thought. She had missed him so much lately and now she finally had him... Yet, she didn't. As much as she liked to fantasize, she knew he'd never be hers. It only made sense, considering the only thing she wanted _was_ him.

Slowly, Hagi made his way across the room toward her and knelt down before the dreamy girl, making Michelle automatically tense up.

After several minutes of no movement in the room at all, Michelle felt two familiar soft lips against her cheek, making her breath catch.

"Sleep well."

And as usual, Michelle did just as he commanded.


	22. Apprentice section 2 chapter two

_Cold winter air and the senation of pine needles against her cheek was all Michelle could comprehend as she opened her eyes._

_"Where on earth...?" she breathed, rubbing the pricking needles off of her face and looking down at the ground. She was in a blanket of snow._

_Standing up, she looked around for any sign of where she could be, but all she saw was pine trees and snow. Snow EVERYWHERE. Falling from the darkened sky above, coating the trees, all over the ground, all over her dark coat. It reminded her so much of her childhood in the forest village she liked to call, 'The Middle of Nowhere'. The only difference, it was even colder in this place._

_"Hello?" she called out. "Anyone ther-"_

_Her voice stopped quickly as she saw a winged creature fly above her head. It looked like a girl's head with long light hair (much like Michelle's) but her body was malformed into deformed pieces of flesh. Backwards legs with claws that could rip a throat open, bone-thin arms stretched to unnatural lengths and large bat wings that carried it across the night sky._

_Michelle didn't know what on earth it could be, but she knew enough to duck down beneath a tree where she wouldn't be spotted. Suddenly, she heard footsteps across the field coming her way._

_"Grigory?" a voice whispered. A familiar voice. _His_ voice._

Hagi? What's he doing here?_ she wondered, keeping ducked down. However, now she felt obligated to tell him about the big flying monster thing in the sky. No matter. Hagi could take care of himself... Right?_

_It only took an instant for Michelle's confidence in him to die, just as she saw a large sharpened wooden stake fly through the air and drive cleanly through Hagi's chest, making his body fall backwards down it._

"NO!" she screamed.

"Michelle, Michelle, wake up."

Her eyes opened wide to see Hagi before her. No chest wound. It only took a moment for her to feel the dramatic rise in temperature of the Okinawa air as opposed to the winter wonderhell she'd just been in. It was then she realized she'd been dreaming and steadied her breath.

"What's going on in here?" Kai asked, running into the room.

"Just a dream, it was just a dream," Michelle breathed, as if to reassure herself as well. Through all the horrible things she'd dreamed of, that had to have been one of the worst.

"It sounded more like a nightmare than a dream," Kai replied. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she said, leaning her head back onto the couch. She realized Hagi hadn't moved much from her side as he was when she had fallen asleep, other than that he was leaning over her holding her shoulders.

"Kai, would you go get some water?" Hagi asked.

"Uh, yeah, sure thing," Kai replied, leaving the room hesitantly.

"A vision?" Hagi asked.

"God I hope not," Michelle replied. "To tell you the truth, I haven't had one in a long time... But the nightmares are still here. This one felt so _real_."

"It's over now," Hagi said, putting his left hand on her forehead to feel her temperature. "You're cold."

"Aren't we always?" Michelle asked.

"Earlier today when I touched your skin, you were warmer," Hagi replied, looking toward the darkened doorway.

The room was only illuminated by a lamp at the foot of the couch. Now that it was dark out, the world felt more comfortable for Michelle. She'd always prefered night to day.

Kai then walked in, holding a glass of water out to Michelle, who sat up carefully to take it from him.

"Thank you, Kai. I'm sorry that I've slept so long, I didn't plan on it. I think I'll just head off to my apartment soon," she said before putting the glass to her lips and gulping down all of the water in a couple seconds.

"Don't be silly, you know you're always welcome here," Kai replied with a yawn.

With the glass finished, she handed it back to Kai, swung her legs over the side of the couch and began to stand up. Once she made it to her feet, she suddenly became very dizzy and staggered backwards.

"I'm okay," she said quickly, once regaining her balance. "Just a little light-headed, I suppose."

She then picked up her purse from the table and began walking out of the room along with Kai and Hagi. Once into the pub, which had also been dimly lit due to closing, Kai caught her by the arm.

"You'll be back tomorrow, right?" he asked. "The twins are looking forward to seeing you again. That and, you know, shopping. Girl stuff."

Michelle couldn't help but laugh at his embarassment saying the term, 'girl stuff' and nodded her head. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Making her way outside, into the somewhat cool night air, Michelle couldn't help but feel more comfortable than in the stuffy house. She'd always be a night bird.

"You coming, Hagi?" she asked, knowing he was following her down the street.

"Yes," Hagi said, following closer now.

"You know, I'm pretty much indestructible now. You don't _have_ to watch over me. I mean, even if I get a cut nowadays, I'll heal up in no time, so even if the bad guy DID get me it wouldn't really matter."

"I know," he simply stated.

"Then why're you wasting your time?"

"Because, I'll always watch over you."

His warm words made Michelle stop and turn around to face him. His face was only lightly illuminated by the street light above yet she could see deep emotion within. Hagi had always been deep but something was troubling him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, taking a step closer to him.

"You haven't been yourself since arriving. You're acting... Sleepy. It's hard for you to stay conscious too long. And, you have a bruise on your right elbow," he replied.

His words made Michelle immediately turn her arm to see that there was in fact a large bruise on the side of her right elbow.

"How'd that get there?" she wondered.

"How it got there is irrelevant. The fact that it's still there proves that your injuries aren't healing up as quickly as they should be."

"What are you getting at?" Michelle began to feel nervous.

"You've been a chiropteran for about 2 years now. For queens, after they've been awake for 2 to 3 years, they go into a deep hibernation for many years."

"I know that, Hagi. That's where Saya is right now..."

"You're... Showing the first signs of hibernation coming close. Queens slowly become colder as they come close to it because during the hibernation, their heartbeat will stop and not start up again for another 30 years."

Hagi then closed the space between them by extending his arm out to touch Michelle's forehead again.

"But I'm not a queen, am I? We weren't entirely sure what would happen to me considering I'm the first female chevalier..." she jerked her face away from him, feeling goosebumps form on her skin. "You're scaring me. I don't like it."

"You have to be honest with me, Michelle," Hagi stepped closer, putting his hands on her arms. "Do you feel it? Do you feel as though you'll fall asleep?"

As he spoke, Michelle's vision began to fade and she felt her body become very heavy. She hadn't told anyone about it, but for a while she'd been so tired she couldn't stand it anymore. For the last few performances she did, she passed out as soon as she was out of the spotlight.

"I'm... afraid, Hagi. I've never been afraid of dying, but... I'm afraid of dying and waking up years later after most people I knew have died. It's like skipping right through your life," she admitted as she looked deeply into his eyes. "And I just got here, to be with you again... Now I'm going to go to sleep for 30 years without you. _Without you._"

"I'll always be with you," he said, pulling her into his arms and resting his head atop hers, breathing in her soft scent.

For that moment, they stood in still silence.

"Hagi, there's something I need to ask you..." Michelle whispered. "If... If you were... _stabbed_... really hard in the... in the chest would you still live?"

The question was as cold and grim but he would answer her still.

"I would."

Michelle sighed with relief. "Good."


	23. Apprentice section 2 chapter three

"There is no way we can tell for sure or not whether you're going to go into hibernation, however you are showing signs for the average chiropteran queen that you will be."

Julia's words had done nothing for Michelle's nerves, as usual, but she didn't resist the reality of the situation. Her hibernation was coming and she knew it, even if it had never happened before.

"So, you think it'll just hit me and that's it?" she asked, looking to Hagi for any levity he'd provide for the situation. "I'll fall asleep and not wake up for 30 years?"

"The amount of time you'll spend in hibernation is unknown, considering you're a new case, but if you continue to follow the previous queens before you then it'll most likely happen."

Michelle nodded before standing up and beginning to walk toward the door.

"Thank you," she said back to Julia.

It wasn't often that Michelle went to see Julia of her own accord but she understood the seriousness of the situation and she needed to talk to the one person who knew better than most people of chiropterans.

Hagi followed Michelle out and to the busy street of Okinawa as he always did, walking closely behind her. It was a very warm, sunny day so Michelle carried a parasol with her to avoid the sun from bothering her fair skin. For a couple blocks down the street, it looked just as if a gothic couple were going for a stroll by the beach, and it felt that way too. For once, everything was simple and enjoyable for the two and the problems of earlier were starting to fade away.

As time began to pass throughout the day, the two didn't stop walking. They were tirelessly trying to find a way to keep things perfect the way they were and not go back to the problems they were so desparately trying to avoid. If they had to walk another thousand miles, they probably would. Once they came to the end of the sidewalk, they stopped and look to eachother.

"Do you want to turn around now?" Michelle asked, squinting against the sunset gleaming on the ocean just a couple yards away.

Instead of replying in an answer, Hagi then took her hand and continued to lead her forward, however now they were onto the beach itself and Michelle's heels were unable to keep her standing up and she began to fall.

"Wait a moment," she said, leaning on Hagi's shoulder with one hand and unzipping her boots with the other. Once the boots were off, she picked them up with the hand she used to hold her parasol and placed the other back into Hagi's awaiting grip.

They continued down the beach as the sun set and continued to walk down it as the moon rose. It wasn't until the moon was high in the sky and the pale light from it was no longer enough to illuminate their way that Michelle stopped.

"Maybe we should turn around now," she said, looking to Hagi, who's pale face was illuminated just enough to see his shining black hair and glowing blue eyes.

As he went to speak, she suddenly couldn't see anything anymore. Tunnel vision warped her vision to the point where she could only see light blue blurs from the moonlight and she stumbled backwards. Her body felt cold and she knew Hagi was saying _something_ but she couldn't make out a word.

Just before she fell to the sand below, Hagi caught her by the waist and pulled her against his body.

_He's talking... but I can't hear anything... I can't see anything..._

_"Hagi?"_

_Can he hear me? Did I just say something? God, I'm so... dizzy..._

Slowly, as Michelle had come out of her haze of confusion, she realized that they were now sitting on the beach, she was in his lap and his arms were wrapped around her. As cool as his body was, it felt so much warmer than hers.

"I'm sorry," she said, looking back to the moonlight, which was now crystal clear in the water. "I just got really disoriented for a moment and I couldn't see or hear anything. What were you saying?"

Hagi sighed deeply. "It doesn't matter. Are you all right now?"

"I feel, really cold..."

In a swift motion, Hagi sat Michelle up, pulled his coat off and wrapped it around her shoulders. In return, she wrapped her arms back around his waist and relaxed.

"Thank you," she whispered with a sigh.

"You feel cold, and I don't," he replied. "So, there is no need to thank me."

"I'll thank you no matter what, Hagi," she replied, pulling away from him to look into his eyes. "For everything. You're... the best thing that's ever happened to me. I don't deserve you yet here you are for me. The least I can do... to repay you, is to thank you."

Hagi then reached out and held her delicate face in his hand. She wrapped his hand with her long, feminine fingers and closed her eyes.

"If I fell asleep right now... This would be enough," she breathed.

Hagi hesitated before speaking. "No, it wouldn't."

Michelle then opened her eyes just as his lips met hers, in an instant she would live in forever. He kissed her long and passionately, wrapping his arms around her tightly and pulling her into him. Even after he pulled away, his face was merely inches from hers for a couple seconds before he kissed her again. For the times they had spent in intimacy, it had been Michelle's starting but this time it was Hagi's desire.

_He desires __**me**__._

She kissed him back just as passionately, wrapping her fingers in his soft hair and pulling him as close as she could to her. Their kiss lasted several minutes before she had grown too tired to hold on anymore and she let go.

"I wish I could hold on forever," she whispered. "but I'm so sleepy... _so sleepy..._"

Her eyes then began to close and her body began to sway. Hagi caught her and carefully laid her cold body down against the warm sand before she could fall.

"I love you."

The words swirled around Michelle's head for a moment before they could register. "I love you too," she replied. "_So much._"

"Are you... going to sleep now?"

"_Yes,_" she admitted, swollowing hard as the realization hit her. "_Hagi... you once told me that... if I were to fall asleep that you would... wait for me, like you do Saya... __**Promise me**__ that you will still love me... in the morning._"

"I promise," he whispered.

_"Thank you."_

With those final words, Michelle breathed in one last time the air of this year and readied herself to not awake for a long, long time.

_He promised._


	24. Apprentice section 2 chapter four

Michelle's comatose body had been under the observations of Julia and other members of her team of researchers for several days until it cocooned itself. The team had decided to put her into a large container, much like what Saya and Diva were put in during their hibernation, safely guarded in the very bottom cellar floor of the hospital.

Kai and the twins were sad to see her gone, knowing she wouldn't come back for more time than she'd ever spent away from them before. But, they held onto the possibility that she could wake up earlier than they expected for hope to see her soon.

Hagi spent most of his time away from everyone, on the hill that he always played when alone, playing the songs he wouldn't ever tire of. The songs that kept the two girls he loved alive in his mind.

Less than a year after Michelle's hibernation began, the twins fell into deep hibernations as well. Their bodies were kept together in the same place as Michelle's, but in a different container.

Kai spent most of his time alone for a while after, until one day a familiar brunette cellist came to wait with him. They waited for the girls they loved.

"I did all I could. I only hope that I'm still alive when I can see them again," Kai had said.

"You must live. For them," Hagi had replied.

Years passed and the world around them changed, but Kai and Hagi never did. Kai continued to run Omoro and Hagi continued to play his cello on that same hill, until one day a building was put in its place. From then on, Hagi found himself playing on the sidewalk next to the beach where he had last seen Michelle. The imagine of her white hair glowing in the sunlight and her blue eyes staring into his brought him to play his cello for hours.

_"You're doing great."_

He had looked up to the familiar voice to see a young Japanese girl admiring him. His bow stopped.

"How do you play like that? You're amazing!" she gawked with the same smile that would come across Michelle's face so many years back. Back before all of this happened, when they first met. The days she spent adoring him from afar while he always knew she was there.

"Would you like me to show you?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah!"

"Mika, who's this?" a woman asked, grabbing the girl by the shoulders.

"I don't know. What's your name, sir?" the young girl asked.

Before the girl could look back to him, Hagi had disappeared from sight.

Years passed and at one point, Kai got a phone call from Julia. David had passed away. He ran his fingers through his hair and wondered how long it's been since Saya and the others had gone into hibernation.

"It's been so long, I hadn't realized..." Kai shook his head. "When's the funeral?"

"David lived hard so he died young, that's all there is to it. The funeral is this Thursday, but he chose to have his body cremated so there won't be a burial," Julia replied. Her voice was weak and tired from her aging.

"I'll be there. I'll see if Hagi will come too, but I can't make any promises. He's always on his own now."

The day of David's funeral, Hagi did show up and for the first time saw David and Julia's son, who was now in his late 20s. He looked so much like his father it was remarkable.

David had died quickly of a heart-attack in his home. Julia had come home from work late to find his body and knew there was nothing she could do. During her speech at the funeral though, she did mention something he had told her several years previous. He had said,

_"I hope I live long enough to see Saya wake up."_

A couple years later, familiar red eyes opened once again.


	25. Apprentice section 2 chapter five

_Michelle and Hagi sat along the edge of a sparkling blue lake as the sun was just beginning to set. Everything was vivid in her dreams, nothing would ruin her time with him. In her mind, everything would stay perfect._

_"Tell me again," she whispered. "tell me that you love me."_

_"I love you."_

_When she was in control, Hagi couldn't ever refuse her. There was no one else to get in the way. She could ask him the same question for eternity and he wouldn't ever grow tired of her, and she knew it._

_"I love you too," she replied with an innocent smile. In return, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close._

_They watched the sun set and the bright, oversized moon illuminated the scene so that everything was now tinted blue. Everything shimmered in her eyes, but nothing was more perfect than Hagi. Here, he would forever be __**hers**__._

_"Everything is perfect here... but I still feel sad."_

_"Hm?"_

_"Right now, in reality, I'm asleep. And you aren't with me. I need you with me but... in reality, you aren't mine."_

_"I will always be yours, Michelle," Hagi whispered, sending chills down her back._

_Closing her eyes and soaking in the moment, Michelle found herself beginning to float away. No longer wrapped in Hagi's arms, she felt alone and cold. Now she was feeling constricted._

_"What's happening?" she wondered, openning her eyes to see her dream begin to fade. She was no longer anywhere near the lake anymore, but now she was in a dark ball that wrapped itself around her whole body. Flashes of the lake floated across her vision and as she reached out to them they disappeared. _She reached as far as she could until she felt herself fall forward, landing with a hard slam against solid stone.

"Hello?"


	26. Apprentice section 2 chapter six

"Kai, the phone's for you."

"Who is it?"

"I think it's Julia..."

Kai made his way across the room to recieve the phone from his adopted sister's small hand. It still amazed him to see her again. Not a single thing about her having changed. Her glossy black hair was cut to fit her tiny face again, of course keeping her light bangs that Hagi loved. She dressed the same as when she fell asleep, casual and comfortable. Saya was never a girl who liked to dress up, a simple pair of pants and a T-shirt were all she needed. Her dull red eyes had not shown bloody red since she'd woken up, which made him forget for a moment that she wasn't a normal girl from Okinawa, and that she wasn't human. She was simply herself again.

"Hello?" Kai answered into the phone.

Saya watched Kai's expression change and his skin pale as he listened intently to the phone. The Kai she once knew had become a middle-aged man. His bright red hair had experienced surges of gray spreading through his temples and his tight, warmly tanned skin had become dark and wrinkled. When she had first woken up, she didn't recognize him, but the moment he opened his mouth she knew it was Kai.

"I understand. We'll be right down," was all Kai had said before hanging the phone up and turning to Saya. His expression serious but full of excitement.

"What is it?" Saya asked.

"Go get Hagi."

Saya looked furtively to the side as she thought about him. He had not changed much that she can remember. Serious and cold, but only since waking up had he been almost avoiding her as much as possible. Of course he didn't refuse her, but instead of following her everywhere she went, he spent most of his time playing his cello on a hill several blocks away. Whenever they were close, he'd avoid expressing himself as deeply as he usually would and would change the subject, almost as though he was guilty of something.

"Why me?" Saya replied. "He talks to YOU more than me, anyway."

Kai decided to ignore having a pointless argument with Saya and swiftly moved past her. "Nevermind," he said as he dodged out the door.

"She woke up without issues, but without her own chevalier to feed from as a queen customarily does when awaking, Michelle has been in a trance-like state for several hours and the glow in her eyes won't fade," Julia stated as she walked swiftly alongside Hagi and Kai through the brightly illuminated hospital. "Normally, I would've sent my assistant to fetch you for her awakening, but because I knew her quite personally myself, I figured I should be the one to show you..."

"Will she be able to wake up on her own without a chevalier?" Kai asked.

"In every case that we've had of Saya, she couldn't fully 'wake up' until she fed from Hagi. Even when she awoke in Okinawa, she had no memories. We believe this is partially from the trauma caused in Vietnam, but also because of not having Hagi to feed from immediately. This being said, we aren't sure if Michelle will ever wake up. Only time will tell."

The group stopped walking when they came to a door with the number 206. Hagi found it ironic, being that Februrary 6th is Michelle's birthday.

"Don't make any sudden movements, we don't know how stable she is," Julia warned as she opened the door.

At first glance, Hagi didn't recognize her. Michelle's natural light brown hair color had grown out nearly twice as long as the white that was left at the ends of her hair. She wore no makeup and cloaked only in a simple hospital gown. It was clear that she wasn't entirely there for if she was, he knew that she would be complaining about her appearance immediately. Instead, she stared blankly out of the bright window beside her. Her blue eyes glowing just as radiant as the light.

"Michelle, Hagi and Kai are here to see you," Julia said, taking a step back.

"Michelle?" Kai asked, taking a step closer. From his expression, he barely could recognize her either. Normally, she was dressed in her gothic attire, her appearance to be as creative as her mind, but like this she appeared as innocent and pure as a newborn baby.

She then turned her head to see the two who had walked into the room. When her eyes met Hagi, something had registered and she began smiling.

"I dreamed of you," she whispered.

Just as quickly as she spoke, she was then standing just before the tall man, looking up into his eyes with a beaming smile. Her long hair trailing behind her like Rapunzel's.

"I dream of you every day," Hagi replied, unafraid of her quick movement whereas Kai and Julia had taken a step back.

In a moment, it was just Hagi and Michelle standing together, no one made a sound. She reached out to touch his heart with her long fingers, with the other hand she twirled his dark hair between her fingers. And then in an instant, she clutched onto his suit, grabbed hold of his hair and sunk her teeth deeply into his neck.


	27. Apprentice section 2 chapter seven

Kai and Julia both jumped back in horror as they watched Hagi become the newly awoken queen's breakfast.

_This doesn't make any sense!_ Julia thought to herself. _Michelle KNOWS that Hagi isn't her chevalier yet she still chooses to drink from him. She also has never showed a sign that she craved blood until now. How much has she changed in her hibernation? There are so many tests we must do now. Now I am unsure of whether or not we should give her the treatment..._

Blood dripped from Hagi's neck and he didn't move a muscle. Michelle's hold on him didn't falter a bit until she had finished. With her blood stained lips, she kissed the mark she'd made on him and watched it heal, but not as quickly as it could've. Chevaliers need blood too, after all, but for them it's mostly to recover from wounds and become more powerful.

"I'm sorry, where are my manners," Michelle said with a giggle. "I forgot to greet you, Kai."

"It's okay, really," Kai said, putting his hands up before himself and edging backwards.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she replied with a laugh as she caught her reflection in the mirror. "OH my God, I look awful. I look like cousin It. But on the bright side, I'm not as old and wrinkly as I would've guessed after having been asleep for... uh... how long have I been asleep?"

"Just under 30 years," Julia replied.

"Ah, which means that Saya must have woken up and gone back to sleep now, hm?"

"Uhm..." Kai looked to Julia.

"Not exactly," Julia admitted.

"What do you mean?"

"It's kind of a long story," Kai said.

"Well, I have the time."

"You see, in the years that we had of Saya, yours, and the twins hibernation, we've been able to create well, it's basically a cure to the hibernation cycle. We've tested it on Saya and as the years have shown, she hasn't aged, nor gone back to sleep. We believe it is working, however we don't know what the side effects could be or if she could fall asleep and not wake up for another 100 years. Saya has accepted this fact and knows every detail involved."

"And you won't give it to me, why?" Michelle added with irritance. Julia's assistant, who was a man well into his 40s, seemed like a completely useless tool who was only taking over David's old job of adding attitude to a serious situation. His voice, his face, his body language just annoyed her.

"I decided," Julia began, taking over her assistance's speech. "that we will hold off on injecting you with it until we can run more tests on you. Until today, we didn't even think to consider that your anatomy may be different than Saya's, considering you've never needed blood before you went into hibernation. Now that you've woken up, I see a considerable change in your body and we can't risk anything."

"Fair enough," Michelle replied. "But you better come up with something before I pull another Sleeping Beauty. Now, where are my clothes?"

"We kept your things exactly as they were," Kai began. "They're in a storrage facility. However, you need to come to the realization that you are not MdivaC anymore and the clothing you wore 30 years ago aren't what people are wearing today. I can't say we've gone completely 'futuristic' but times have certainly changed."

"Yeah, but I can't go around in a hospital gown with my hair 10 feet longer than my height."

"Well, we can have some plain clothes brought here within several minutes, as for your hair it may take a little while but you could probably cut the bulk off of it in the time we have your clothing ready for you," Julia's assistant replied.

"I guess," Michelle shrugged.

After Michelle had gotten through cutting off the majority of the access hair (including what was left of her bleached ends), it had fallen just under her hips as it usually had been. What was left reminded her of her childhood with wavy, light-brown hair with no shape.

"I look like I went to sleep in the 70s and woke up in the early 2000s," she said, shaking her head to her reflection in the mirror.

The world around her had changed, not as dramatic as she would've thought but things were certainly different. Car models had become high-tech and what she would've seen in her day would be considered an antique. Televisions weren't flatscreens anymore, now they were mostly projection screens with 3D text. As if the 3D technology of her days couldn't have become more ridiculous. The buildings she could see outside the window had changed too. It almost had become a combination of her generation mixed with Futurama. From what Kai, Julia and Julia's assistant had been wearing, it's obvious that fashion had evolved in some way. Kai had normally worn a plain tanktop with jeans but now his clothes were far more crisp, clean and the jean fabric had changed to a combination of silk and twine. Hagi's appearance, thankfully, hadn't changed a bit.

_Some things are still bothering me though... If Saya woke up several years ago, then why has Hagi been so friendly to me? I'd have expected him to gone back to Saya completely but he just let me nearly rip his throat out earlier... And what was up with that? That was definitely one of THE most disgusting things I've ever done yet I couldn't help myself. And why are the twins in hibernation? Will they wake up soon? I guess the one thing I don't have to worry about would be my family, friends and my fans. To keep my chiropteran secret, they were all told that I was dead and held a huge memorial in my honor. It's still creepy to think about..._

She watched the projection of the televised funeral held in her honor on the new cellphone Julia had given her. It was far different than the cellphones she was accustomed to. This one was the size of her pinky, it looked more like a flashdrive than anything, but pressing one single button on the device itself opened a projection that hovered above it. By simply poking the keys that she wanted to activate in the air, the phone did what she wanted to.

_And apparently NOW, wifi is everywhere. Lucky kids, have no idea what it means to have had a rowder connected to their internet. Nooo, of course not. It's the future._

A knock at the door had shaken Michelle enough to click her cellphone off and drop it to the dresser before her.

"I hope this fits," Julia's assistant said as he carried a translucent bag of clothes into the room. "Size charts have changed since you were last awake."

"I'm sure that they haven't changed mega dramatically," she replied, taking the bag from his hands.

"By the way, the jargon and slang of today is yet again, different from your day. I don't believe I've heard a teenager say 'mega' since I was 15, and even then it was considered an old term. You may want to immerse yourself into the culture of today in order to fit in."

Michelle rolled her eyes and did a 'shoo-shoo' motion with her hand. As she did so, the man obediently left the room.

_That douche, acting like he owns the place. He would've been around 10 years old before I fell asleep... but maybe I'm just annoyed by him because I miss bitching at David._

Looking into the bag, she found a crisp pair of silky white pants, a white tanktop, a gray with white trimmed hoodie, feetie socks, undergarments and a pair of gym shoes.

_Apparently in this generation, white is the new black._


	28. Apprentice section 2 chapter eight

"Hm? Where's Hagi?" Saya asked as Kai returned through the door of Omoro.

"I have to explain something to you, so you may want to sit down."

"How are you feeling?"

"Hm? Oh... I guess I'm feeling better," Michelle replied as she looked to her shoes. "Better now that I'm with you, Hagi."

Hagi replied by wrapping his hand around her shoulders and hugging her into him as they walked through town.

"I will always be here," he assured her.

"I know you will. If there's anything I'm sure that hasn't changed and won't change, it's that you'll be here. Waking up to this new world, I feel so... uncomfortable. My parents were my age in the 70s and they grew up to know the world of 2010. Me, I feel like I was put into a capsul in the 70s and woke up to see all of the new things of 2010. Only thing is, everyone thinks I'm dead. How am I supposed to find a new life for myself now? I have to start all over again in this new world..."

"You will find the answers in time, but for now please try to relax," Hagi replied.

"I am... I only pray that I can find some new clothes that fit my style... Has hairdying gone out of style? I really hope not," Michelle said, pulling a strand of wavy brown hair from the long pile at her back.

"I don't think it looks bad," Hagi replied honestly.

"Well yeah of course YOU don't, your girlfriend's a brunette-" Realizing what she'd just said, Michelle quickly covered her mouth and looked away.

_Would saying it out-loud make him remember? Of course not. That's silly. Of course he knows that Saya's his girlfriend... But then, why is he here with me now?_

Hagi quickly stopped walking to grab hold of Michelle's other shoulder with his bandaged hand. He looked deeply into her eyes and she gulped.

"You are beautiful."

"Well... that's a lot better than I was expecting," she replied with a nervous giggle, but his expression didn't change.

_Why is he acting so strange?_

"My feelings for you haven't change, and they won't ever change."

Michelle could feel the honesty in his voice and then realized what he must've gone through with her gone. With both her and Saya gone from his life.

_We were both in hibernation and Hagi has been alone all this time. I never thought that.._

"I'm sorry, I'm being inconsiderate," she replied quickly, looking to his feet for some sort of safety. _It's like he's staring into my soul. _"Uhm, maybe we could go to Tokyo again sometime. Remember last time? I don't think the ghost of MdivaC could get you another concert, but they had really fun shopping and I still have the money from before. Saya could come too if you wanted..."

The corners of Hagi's mouth rose and he dropped his bandaged hand from her shoulder. "You're feeling better."

Michelle blushed in response to his warm smile. She grabbed his left hand and began leading him down the sidewalk.

After a day of shopping for basic necessities, Michelle and Hagi arrived back at Omoro. Just before they went inside, Hagi stopped her from opening the door.

"I want you to remember that nothing has changed," he whispered, kissing her cheek swiftly and then entering the house first.

Just as they began walking into the room, Michelle's gaze looked around to find nothing had really changed. Other than a couple of chairs and tables having been replaced, Kai kept everything the way it used to be. And then her eyes caught a certain brunette girl sitting at the bar. There was shock and disbelief in her eyes as they met Michelle's from across the room.

"Uh, we're back," Michelle stated, dropping her bags to one table to the side. "I take it that you're Saya," she began walking towards the small girl. "I'm Michelle."

As Michelle reached her right hand out to shake Saya's, Kai walked in from the hallway with a grim expression. Saya didn't shake her hand, she only stared into her blue eyes with a look of horror and pain.

_What's this girl's problem? _Michelle thought as she retracted her hand.

"When I saw you those years ago, I had no idea that you would turn into..." Saya breathed softly. Suddenly, she stood up and slammed her hands to the bar in frustration. "I tried to rid the world of chiropterans! And then here you are. I wanted to let the twins have a normal life but now there's just too many of us! How can the world of humans be safe when there's uncontrolled chiropterans roaming freely. You're just like Diva!"

Michelle took a step backwards in shock and Hagi quickly came to her aid.

"Saya, she is nothing like-"

"Hagi, you too? Has everyone gone mad?" Saya exclaimed. "Just today that girl forcefully fed from you with no control of her actions and you're standing up for her? This is the reason why we fought, Hagi. This is why we couldn't have a normal life! I can't believe this could happen again..."

Before Hagi could say another word, Saya broke down to tears and ran out of the room, pushing Kai aside as she made her way down the hall.

Michelle looked to Hagi in shock, asking for an answer that he couldn't give her. Kai broke the silence.

"She's just a little freaked out, is all. Saya has seen more fighting and hate, she's suffered more than any normal person could survive. She just heard of your existence today, Michelle. Give her time to calm down."

Taking his hand from Michelle's arm, Hagi coldly walked across the room and to the hallway. He went after Saya, and Michelle couldn't blame him.

"Kai... do you think I shouldn't have come here?"


	29. Apprentice section 2 chapter nine

"I should have told you, I am... sorry..."

"How could you let this happen, Hagi? After everything we've gone through..."

Michelle drummed her fingers along the bar as she waited for Hagi to come back. The mood of the room had deeply plummeted ever since they returned.

"So... how are you finding this generation to be?" Kai asked.

"It's weird, that's for sure, but nothing shocking. Considering the developments that were happening even in my day, it's not as though technology wasn't already on this path as it was. I think I might just wear my old clothes for the time being. I can make the vintage look work. Just as long as no one recognizes me..."

"I think the world has long passed the days of MdivaC, to tell you the truth. There may be some conspiracy theories that you weren't really dead, considering they never showed the body, but for the most part the world has accepted your death and you'll always remain an opera goddess to many."

"Ha, yeah, but what of my life now? What on earth am I supposed to make of it? It's not as though I can step back into the spotlight. Singing, the arts, it's all I know."

"It's all you THINK you know..."

Michelle sighed and continued drumming her fingers. "Do you think Saya will let Hagi hang out with me after all this?"

Kai shrugged. "I'll tell you one thing, she may be my sister but she couldn't stop me. You've become part of this family just as much as the next person. Yeah, what I saw earlier today freaked me out, but you're a chiropteran. I've seen Saya do the exact same thing. I can't find one 'dangerous' thing about you and I'm sure she'll like you once she gets to know you."

"I'd hope," Michelle replied with a half-smile. "I really gotta do something about this hair though."

Just as the clock striked 8pm, Hagi walked back through the door. Michelle awaited the worst, knowing Saya's hold on him.

_What would I do if she took him away from me? Especially after all of this..._

"Has she calmed down?" Kai asked.

"She's asleep," Hagi replied. "Michelle, may I see you for a moment?"

Closing her eyes, Michelle nodded her head. She knew what was to come.


	30. Apprentice section 2 chapter ten

Hagi had grabbed his cello case and asked Michelle to accompany him, to which she unquestionably agreed. He led her down the street and across a very familiar path that they'd traveled many times.

_And will we ever end up together?_

The memories they'd shared flashed through her mind, back when her life was perfect. The hours they'd spend practicing, the days they'd spend together. From morning to midnight, they were always together. Always.

_No, I think not._

She knew that Saya was just sleeping, that she'd return one day. She knew that she'd take Hagi back. She knew this and yet she never left him. She never stopped loving him.

_It's never to become._

During her hibernation, she only dreamed of Hagi. She knew it was a fantasy but she never stopped believing that he'd be there for her when she woke up. And he was there, but so was Saya.

_For I am not the one._

Hagi had stopped walking at the peak of the hill and set up his folding chair to sit on. On this summer day, the sun was still an hour off from setting. There was still enough daylight to play.

"Just like the begining," she whispered to herself.

"The begining, today, and forever," he replied as he unpacked his cello. "Things between us will never change."

"But, I was certain that this was a breakup walk... It's not?"

"There are some things I must discuss with you, but if by 'breaking up' you mean that we will no longer be together, no, it is not."

Hagi was now sitting, ready to begin playing his famous Bach's 5th suite prelude. As he began, Michelle could feel the wind begin to change.

_ "You couldn't play a simple scale with that posture," a familiar voice said._

_ She immediately pulled herself to attention and looked around._

_ "Hagi," she couldn't help but smile widely at his gorgeous face in the sunset._

_ He smiled slightly at her dopey grin, then handed her his cello- his bow hair already tightened._

_ "The song?" she asked, preparing her fingers to play by tapping them against the strings like a kid playing._

The flashback flowed through her mind. The second time they'd ever met. He never changed.

By the end of the song, Hagi had become so intense while playing that he forgot about Michelle's presence and was startled when she spoke.

"I love you."

He opened his eyes and saw the same familiar blue eyes staring up at him. Her appearance had changed but she never did. He carefully placed his cello down on the grass beside him and kneeled down to meet Michelle's lips with his.

The kiss surprised her but it wasn't unwelcomed. She'd longed for his touch, his kiss, his passion. Dreaming wasn't the same as living.

As Hagi pulled away, he looked deeply into her eyes and replied, "I love you too."

"As much as you've been the same since we've first met... you've changed," Michelle added. "The moment you kissed kissed me, you desired **me**, you haven't been afraid of admitting your feelings to me. It's still amazing to know that you love me the same way that I've always loved and adored you... But you don't belong to me, Hagi."

Hagi sat on the grass beside her, putting his hand to his chin and looking off into the sunset he nodded his head.

"I cannot change my DNA, nor can I change my allegiance to Saya. She and I have been together for so long and I cannot change the way I feel about her. I live only to serve her... But I never had freedom. When I met you, everything changed. I felt free, I felt like a normal human. I found a side of myself that I never knew existed. I never felt as though I had to serve you, I felt like your equal and I experienced the freedom to live and love like any other man. But I am not a human. I am still a chiropteran. I am Saya's chevalier, and I wouldn't change it for the world. But I also wouldn't change _our_ relationship for the world either. Saya means the world to me, but you are my freedom..."

"I understand," Michelle said, leaning into him carefully. "And I knew what I was getting myself into when I found out about Saya. But I couldn't stop loving you even if I tried. If it means I have to put up with sharing you, then I guess I will. If anything, I'm the other woman. I don't deserve to have you. In fact, if it weren't for Saya then I wouldn't at all. She killed you and saved you, and only through that fact can you be here with me now. Through strange occurances, I ended up part of your chiropteran family and now I'll live as long as you all do. I only pray that Saya and I can get along or else this is going to be one hellish eternity."

Michelle could feel a rumble of laughter in Hagi's chest but didn't make it to the surface.

"When I saw you," Michelle continued. "when you followed Saya to the hallway, you had a different attitude than you usually do. You were cold and robotic, and you shown no expression. Tell me, is this the way that you were before you met me?"

"I feel as though I'm torn between two people now. I spent my life devoted to Saya and being the cold rock she needed for me to be. But when I'm with you, I am a person that never could've existed. I don't know who I am anymore..."

"You're Hagi. Who else would you be?"


	31. Apprentice section 2 chapter eleven

Michelle dropped her purse onto the end table beside the couch in her new apartment and sighed as she dropped herself into the couch itself. She had adjusted fairly well within one week of being awake yet still felt alone. She longed to go home but her home was long gone. The only life she knew was to be with Hagi and Kai but now with Saya being there, Michelle hadn't visited in several days. Saya's hurtful words rang in her ears as she looked out into the sunset and wished for a better day.

"I know she didn't mean it," she said to herself, "but it's almost as though she already has me marked as the enemy... Although maybe I am. I kind of did take her boyfriend while she was sleeping, as well as her family. If that weren't enough I'm now related by blood. If I were still human I'd be around 50 now, Hagi would be uninterested and they'd be happily hooked up again... But I'm not. And he's not. And they aren't."

She stretched her legs onto the coffee table in front of her, pulled her purse from the end table and began digging through it until she found a familiar digital camera.

"It's outdated and crappy but it's still one of the only ties I have left to my time," she said as she thumbed through old pictures she never got a chance to upload onto her computer, or never wanted to delete. She stopped when she came to a picture of her and Hagi on the beach at sunset. She had a civilian hold the camera for her and take the picture from several feet away just so that there was a good shot of the sky and they weren't taking up the whole picture. She remembers the moment he wrapped his bandaged hand around her waist and she tucked her head into his neck, breathing in his scent as the picture was taken. It was probably the happiest she'd ever looked on camera.

At that moment she then looked into the gothic mirror she had propped against the wall beside her and remembered she didn't look the same. Her once white-blonde hair had not only gone back to its natural state but had been dyed over top as simply black. She didn't want to be recognized as MdivaC anymore and she thought by keeping it dark she'd easier blend into the crowd in the Japanese town she lived in. She had kept it long, about to her knees but put it up into pigtails tied in black ribbons. Her attire remained gothic, continuing to wear many of the same articles of clothing she wore years ago but she decided to add clothes of modern day to her wardrobe as well, including the white victorian-mod dress she was wearing at the moment.

"I worked all of my life to make a name for myself but in the end, the only thing to keep me safe is to blend in. I'm no longer MdivaC... I'm Michelle. I've always been Michelle..."

Her words saddened her but she knew it was the truth. This was her life now and she chose to live for at least one reason... for the man she loved.

Staring into the sunset, Hagi felt as though Michelle's presence was with him even in her absense. She hadn't wished to see him in several days and he didn't blame her. She needed to adjust to life again and she needed to find her own answers. There was not a doubt in his mind that she would return when she felt ready. So for now, he would play. Play their song.

As the song intensified the breeze along the hill kicked up into a wind and the clouds became dark with the power of the night. His hands were steady but his mind was racing until-

_My string..._

Without realizing it Hagi's stress had turned against him and caused him to snap his C-string, a very vital string in playing Bach's 5th suite prelude. He immediately knew he could not continue until replacing it.

_In all my years, this has never happened. I've snapped plenty of strings but not like this... There was no reason to. It's a brand new string, it was in perfect condition and I... No, I'm being too rash. Strings break. It wasn't as though it was malicious._

"Am I... losing it? Knowing you are here, you could be here right now with me... but you don't wish to be. How could I be so selfish? What have I become?"

"Hagi?"

Excitement forced hope to enter his mind as he looked around for the voice who called him. _Michelle? Please let it be her..._

"Saya," Hagi whispered, holding his cello with his left hand and standing to attention immediately.

Saya brushed a hair back that had crossed her face from the wind and smiled weakly. "You sound as though you were expecting someone else... I'm sorry, I just wanted to tell you that the weather channel says it's about to start raining. I figured you should... Oh, Hagi, your string..."

Without warning, she crossed the distance between them and held the snapped C-string between her fingers.

"It is nothing, I can replace it myself..." Hagi replied as Saya's hands traced his cello and up to his left hand. Her touch was so warm yet her expression so cold.

"You're stressed," she whispered as she took his cello from him, laid it down gently beside her and began rubbing the muscles in his hand.

"You don't have to-"

"I _want_ to," Saya replied as she forced his hand to stay in her possession for a moment before dropping it. "No, forget it. It's nothing."

Before Hagi had a moment to apologize Saya gave him a cold glance and headed back. In an instant he collected his cello, put it into its case and headed in the opposite way.

_I have to see you._


	32. Apprentice section 2 chapter twelve

She laid comfortably along her navy-blue couch with her head against the arm wrest of one end and her feet touching the opposite. Hagi wasn't a big fan of her dark hair at first but he decided that anything she does is beautiful to him. Her new apartment, which he had not seen yet, was decorated very similar to the way it had been before. The floor was what appeared to be a combination of black and white carpet tiles laid out in a diagonal pattern across the living room floor. The walls were pure white draped with black and red drapes, more so over top her mirror and doorways. He figured she must have more than enough money in her savings to not only be able to live in luxuary but never have to work another day in her life. She could live this way forever... But he knew it wouldn't make her happy.

_If you were still human... If you never met me... You wouldn't have to suffer like this._

He had been kneeling before her for several minutes but with each passing he felt pained to not reach out and stroke her cheek, let her know he was there, something... But he couldn't. He feared she would become angry with him for spying on her when she didn't want to see him.

"You're perfect," he whispered, but just as quickly he began to stand up to walk away. "I will be waiting."

Just as he began walking back toward the door a thin pale hand grabbed his wrist and disabled him from leaving. In that moment he was horrified to know what she would do yet excited at the same time. Even yelling at him would be enough to hold him off. Anything.

"Michelle?"

"I must say, you look delicious."

Before Hagi could move she was already behind him, lifting his hair from his neck and plunging her teeth in deeply.

"Kai, do you think I'm a terrible person?"

"Huh? Oh, Saya, you're such a nag. You've never changed," Kai replied as he continued to clean the glass he was holding in his weak hands.

"Well I feel like a terrible person. Hagi barely wants to be around me anymore. He used to be the type to always be by my side but ever since I woke up he's been distant. He just spends all of his time out there on that hill playing his cello. It's like he doesn't even know I exist at all."

"Well, have you tried talking to him about it?"

Saya lifted her chin slightly from her hand and looked into Kai's eyes for a moment. The thought had never occured to her before. Instantly she began laughing and stood up from the bar stool she'd been sitting on. Without saying another word she grabbed her umbrella and began walking toward the door.

"What'd I say?" Kai replied in a confused haze.

"You said everything, Kai. You're right. You're always right," Saya replied with a smile as she opened the door and headed out into the night.

Once she had let go of his arms, Hagi had quickly stepped several feet from her, trying to regain balance from blood loss.

"Where you going? I thought you wanted to see me," Michelle said with a sly smile as she wiped a line of blood from her mouth. "I'm sorry, I've just been so thirsty for you lately. I should've asked."

Hagi's expression hadn't changed, his eyes wide and his mouth open as he held his neck with his bandaged hand.

"Hagi? What are you looking at? You look like you've seen a ghost. Hello?" Michelle said as she waved a hand in front of his face.

"I'm sorry, I need to go now," he whispered as he backed slowly toward the door.

"Uh... Okay then. I guess I'll stop over at Omoro tomorrow. Bye-"

Before Michelle could finish, he had disappeared.

"Well, that was weird..."


	33. Apprentice section 2 chapter thirteen

Her face, those glowing blue eyes in the moonlight as she wiped blood from her mouth, that long dark hair, that white dress, her voice... It had all begun to come together for him. In that horrifying instant Hagi had seen the face of Diva again.

_I can't believe I never put it together before. I can't believe I-_

Hagi shook his head as he headed to Omoro. He needed to see Saya. He needed to talk to her, to tell her... But he couldn't. He couldn't tell her. She'd have been right all along. Michelle could may as well become the second Diva and it was all his fault.

_If only I had left her, if only I could have left her... But I couldn't. She... intrigued me. I needed to know her... I needed to- and yet I ruined her life. I ruined all of her hopes of living like a normal human. She could've gotten married, had children, her parents could've become grandparents, instead they believe their daughter is dead and their lives are scarred. All because I couldn't stay away from her._

The overwhelming guilt had stopped Hagi in his chiropteran speed and he stood still. He felt the raindrops on his skin, he heard the thunder above and he felt... human.

"If there is a God... why couldn't you keep her safely away from me?" he whispered to the sky. "She deserved better. She was an angel, and now I fear she is becoming a demon just like us. Just like me. I was fine living my life devoted to Saya, living with her being my only reason. Why couldn't you leave things alone?... If you're listening... I beg you... Please save Michelle. Save her from me. Please..."

For the first time in a long time, Hagi felt the sting of tears in the creases of his eyes.

"I'm sorry."

Morning had begun to turn into afternoon as Saya ate her breakfast in silence and Kai tended to the customers on their lunch breaks.

_I searched for hours and I couldn't find him... He never came home... I wonder if he's still mad at me_, Saya's worries troubled her as she ate her rice. _Will he ever come back?_

"Saya, it's about time for your treatment. You should head over to the hospital now," Kai said over the clamor of voices from the bar.

"All right," she replied before standing up and taking her dish to the sink to be washed. "Mind if I take the bus? I'm a little too tired to drive."

"Go ahead, but if you want to catch the next one you'll need to be down the block soon so get going," Kai replied as Saya headed out the door. "And Saya, be careful."

"I will, be back tonight," she said as she walked out the door and headed down the street.

Saya had become accustomed to taking herself to the hospital whenever she needed blood transfusions every week since Kai had become so busy with work. Normally she could drive herself in his car, which he switched to after becoming too old for his motorcycle, but today she was feeling more light-headed than usual.

_It's probably just stress._

As the bus arrived at the corner, Saya, along with a couple other passengers, got on and sat down. Saya knew exactly where her stop was and what time she would arrive, it had become so routine, yet she still felt anxious.

_It's just like every other time I've gone. I arrive at Julia's hospital, explain that I have an appointment then I head off to a room in which I lay down on a bed and get an IV of blood which usually takes about an hour to finish. Casual conversation with the nurse then I'm out of there. No big deal, right?... Then why is my leg bouncing?_

"Hey, where've you been the past week?"

"Oh, you know, getting settled in," Michelle replied to Kai's question as she walked into Omoro and headed over to the bar. "Is... Saya here?"

"Nope, she headed over to the hospital for her uh... thing," Kai censored himself in front of the customers he was attending.

"Ah..." Michelle said, looking around the room.

"You know, you really should stop in yourself and have your... thing, done. I know you don't need your... thing as much say, Saya does, but it still would be better to be safe about it. You never know if you're going to get weak from, you know..."

"I probably should," Michelle replied. "but I don't feel weak right now. Uhm... I'm getting Hagi's with her."

"Unless they met up at the bus station, no. Saya went out to find him to talk to him last night but couldn't. He hasn't been in today either."

"That's strange..."

"Oh you know him though. The dark mysterious type. Probably out doing... Hagi things. He'll come around. I just find it odd that he's not with you nor Saya. He usually tags along with somebody."

"Yeah, I suppose..."

_Should I tell Kai about him being in my apartment last night? No, because then I'd have to explain that I drank from him, which is why I feel fine and he'll think I'm just as much a psycho as Saya thinks I am. Ugh but I just... couldn't control myself... It's been like this since I woke up... What's happening to me?_

"Michelle? Are you feeling all right, you look... paler..."

"Huh? Oh, uhm... I think I might just stop by the hospital actually..." Michelle replied in a daze as she stood up. "If Hagi asks just tell him he can find us both there."

"Sure thing. Hope you feel better soon."

_So do I._


	34. Apprentice section 2 chapter fourteen

_You can't kill me cause I'm already inside you._

_You can't kill me cause I'm already inside you._

_You can't kill me cause I'm already __**inside you.**_

"It seems as though all of your vitals are normal and your blood pressure is stable. Tell me, you haven't felt the need to eat or 'drink' anything since well, after the Hagi incident?"

The question made Michelle's face burn like a candle as she fidgeted on her hospital bed. She had been in Julia's hospital being examined by an expert in the chiropteran field, some man named John -_Obviously American_ she thought to herself- for about a half hour now. Since arriving she knew she didn't feel right yet she felt too shamed to explain why.

"Uh, not since the uh... Hagi incident," she replied.

_Maybe if I don't tell him there's been a second Hagi incident it won't be considered lying... Ugh, but who am I kidding anyway? Of course he'll know I've been lying... Then again, there's never been a chiropteran like me before..._

"Well, feel free to get dressed and if you do feel as though you need to 'feed', just come by and we'll help you out. Until then, there's nothing physically wrong with you. You're the same as you were over 30 years ago."

Just as John began to exit the room, Michelle called out, "Wait."

"Is there anything more?" John asked, turning around and taking a couple steps back toward her.

"I... I haven't been feeling like myself lately. I know physically nothing may be wrong with me by my mind... It's like I'm becoming something else. Sometimes I don't recognize myself. I think there's something seriously wrong with me," Michelle said, feeling the hairs on her arms stand on end with every honest word.

"Well then," John replied as he pulled up a chair to her bed and sat down. "It wouldn't take a chiropteran specialist to tell you the truth about that. Even before you were changed you suffered from neurosis as well as intense paranoia, diagnosed by your prior doctor. You said that you heard voices in your head and that you sometimes would see visions. Perhaps you're having another episode. As for not recognizing yourself, it could've been the immediate change in appearance since waking up. Often times, a Queen would spend at least a year adjusting to reawakening, it's very likely that you aren't as adjusted as you believe you are. Perhaps you should try looking the way you did before you fell asleep again. Maybe that could help put your mind at ease until you've fully woken up."

The same answer every time. _He thinks I'm crazy._

Rather than arguing as she normally would've done, Michelle accepted defeat in knowing that he would never bother to try understanding. Instead he would only continue on telling her why she's nuts and how she's wrong about everything. She simply nodded her head in his direction and waved him away. He followed her gesture and left the room, allowing Michelle time to slip back into her Gothic Lolita inspired blue and white paisley dress.

_Stay inside your hole, __**let me take control.**_

Saya gazed out of the window beside her bed as she let the IV finish when the nurse who had started it opened the door to enter. In the split second Saya turned her head to look at the nurse, walking through the hallway behind her was her was **her**. Porcelain skin, long sleek black hair held up in ribbons and a blue mixed with white dress that made the fury boil in Saya's veins.

"DIVA!" she roared as she ripped the IV from her wrist, ran across the room -throwing the nurse out of the way in her rage- and headed toward the girl.

In a moment of silence, Saya's inhuman strength grabbed the girl by the shoulders and rammed her into the wall behind, causing the stone to cave in. Glowing blue and red eyes once again held the floor but this time, she was wrong.

Michelle gasped in pain and closed her eyes as Saya made a horrifying realization. Just as time began to run normally, shocked screams and gasps were made throughout the hallway as medical alert guards came running in. It didn't take much effort for the three men to pull Saya from her, but it wasn't a guard who caught Michelle as she weakly fell from the wall she had become embedded in, it was Hagi. He had been standing there the whole time... And he didn't stop Saya still.

_He could've stopped me. He could've forced me down before I made it out of my room. He could've saved me from making a grave mistake... But he didn't. He stood there and watched, then he picked up the pieces... And his face... He looks so cold._


	35. Apprentice section 2 chapter fifteen

"I came over as soon as I heard!" Kai exclaimed as he burst into the hospital room where Hagi had been watching over Michelle since she had been re-evaluated.

"It's not a big deal, Kai," Michelle said weakly as she laid on her stomach in nothing but her bra and hospital gown tied around her hips. Across her midsection a large bandage wrapped. "I'm a chiropteran, I heal fast."

"Yes my dear but you still have several broken ribs. It could take hours for those to heal on their own," John said as he patted her shoulder from her bedside.

"What the hell happened?" Kai asked as he walked closer.

"Saya kicked my ass, had it coming," Michelle replied with a twisted smile. "Not sure why she called me Diva though. I was just crossing the hallway because I saw Hagi outside of Saya's room and bam, next thing I know I'm becoming your new wall art, John."

Hagi's expression changed from calm to grave in a moment as he stood beside the window, the light making his wavy dark hair even more prominent.

"There was... nothing I could do," Hagi replied curtly as he crossed the room to where Kai stood. "I think I need to... check on Saya."

Before anyone could ask questions he was already out the door. Michelle frowned at the realization that he didn't tell her he would be coming back.

_She looked __**just like**__ her. She looked just like Diva. For that moment, I thought she was... How could I have forgotten? I killed Diva... with my own hands. Why did I see it? My life doesn't make sense anymore. I feel so confused. Why does Hagi stand up for her every chance he has yet when I physically attack her, he does nothing? Did he.. want me to hit her? But that doesn't even make sense. They're like glue. He'd more likely be by her side... than mine._

Saya twisted and turned on the less comfortable bed she was told to rest on in what appeared to be a containment cell. They had held her tightly as they went to the basement floor where they had several identical containment rooms with steel doors. They placed her on the only bed in the room, cemented to the ground, and told her they wouldn't have to restrain her if she stayed still. It was obvious they were taking every necessary precaution, knowing her history.

Just as Saya had closed her eyes, the door opened quickly and closed just as fast, which caused her to sit up straight. In had walked her faithful chevalier with one of the darkest expressions he'd ever had in her presence.

"Hagi? Are you okay?"

Hagi nodded once.

"Hagi, why didn't you stop me? I KNOW that you could have, don't lie to me, Hagi. I want the truth. Now."

"The truth..."

"Yes, Hagi. I need to know now."

"The truth is... I went to see Michelle last night... I needed to know she was okay... I went into her apartment and she was laying on the couch... I assumed she was asleep... When I went to leave she... fed from me, again."

Saya's eyes widened at his words and she felt her breath catch. "I can't believe her. How dare she?"

"Saya... I was... afraid."

Her expression went from disgusted and horrified to confused and curious. "You? You were afraid? Of what? Her? You're much stronger than her. There's no reason to be-"

"Saya, she looked like Diva. I heard the song when she bit me, I couldn't move... My claw ached. I felt Diva's torment again... I saw her in the dark. The moonlight lit the room when I saw her pale skin, long black hair and white dress... She wiped the blood from her mouth and acted as though nothing had happened. She wasn't herself in that moment. It terrified me... and I left. I had to leave... Today, I came to see you and there she was again. I heard the song and I was frozen... Then you attacked her and for a moment I relived the day you defeated Diva. I saw you two in horrible combat. I saw your pain and frustration, and for a moment I didn't think about her... It wasn't until I realized it was her that I felt horrible about it. I can't believe I let you hurt her. I should've stopped you, I should've- but I didn't."

"I don't know why either, Hagi... but when I saw her in that moment, I heard the song too. I saw the face of Diva... but it wasn't her. I would never have lashed out at Michelle, despite how much I dislike her. I lashed out at Diva."

"But Diva is gone, Saya. Are we both going mad?"

"I don't know, Hagi..."

And in a moment of pure fear, Saya stood and wrapped her arms around his waist. He in return put his arms around her shoulders and held her close.


	36. Apprentice section 2 chapter sixteen

Hours later, Michelle had finished healing and after several new X-rays confirming this, she was allowed to go home. She left the hospital curtly, only saying goodbye to Kai and John, with hurt feelings knowing that Hagi didn't want to be with her.

_I get that his girlfriend's having a hard time right now, but she's the one who attacked me and yet I'm the bad guy?_ Michelle thought to herself as she made it to her apartment and began walking up the stairs. _Why did she call me Diva?_

Just as she began to turn the key in the lock she felt a strange presence coming from inside her apartment.

_Someone is there._

She immediately knew she could handle this one of two ways. One, acting nonchalaunt and going in to face them or two, fight before they have a chance to respond. It was too late to run back now.

Slowly opening the door, she decided to go with option one. Simply turning the light on from the switch beside the door and turning to face them, she was caught off guard by what she had seen. No one was there.

_But there was someone here just a moment ago. No one could move that fast... Unless-_

"Hello my darling little Diva."

Twisting around to find that they had moved behind her in the split-second it had taken for her to walk into her apartment, she realized they weren't human either. Without thinking she ran quickly toward her kitchen, pulled her microwave oven from the counter and hurled it toward the shadowed figure before her. It met with a loud crash as it went through the closet door, completely missing her target.

"Now that wasn't nice, can you give me a second to talk? Jeesh," the figure spoke again, this time Michelle recognized it as a very feminine man's voice.

"Why does everyone keep calling me that? Why do they keep calling me Diva?" Michelle shouted toward the darkness in the hallway.

Slowly, the man came forward and he looked nothing like she would've imagined. He had medium-blonde hair with curls around his cat-like triangular face. He wore a very high-fashioned dark blue suit with an open white shirt beneath. Despite having just been faced with a microwave hurling toward his head, he wore a happily pleased expression.

"Well, I suppose that would be that... You're a spitting image of her," he replied. "Oh, where are my manners? Let me introduce myself, my name is Nathan."

As the man put out his hand to shake with Michelle's, she took a step back.

"Don't be so rude, I am a relative after all."

"What do you know?" Michelle demanded, slowly stretching one hand onto the countertop where her knives were kept.

"Well, a secret we need to keep between us," he began as he walked towards Michelle. In a flash, he had grabbed the hand that was slowly reaching toward her knives and pulled it his way as he began leading her into the living room. She decided against fighting and went along with him.

_Who is this guy?_

"Saya thinks I'm dead. She believes she killed me. I was going to leave her and Hagi alone for the rest of eternity, letting them believe that lie, but now that you've become a part of the picture everything has changed. You are... radiant. When I heard the name MdivaC I never would've dreamed she'd become part of the family."

"What are you talking about?" Michelle asked, pulling her hand back to her side. "It's obvious you're a chiropteran as well but..."

"I was Saya and Diva's mother's chevalier. No living being knows that fact but you now. When Saya and Diva were born I kept a close eye on them in the custody of those humans. I saw them treat Saya with love and kindness but they completely neglected my poor Diva. She grew up without being loved, without being hugged, only living off of the basic necessities to survive. When Saya had let Diva out of that tower and Diva had turned Amshel into a chevalier, I managed to sneak my way into the family and convince them that I was also Diva's chevalier. No one questioned the actions of Diva and if they believed I was her chevalier then I may as well have been. I watched over my Diva for many years until her final battle with Saya. Neither of the girls knew the truth, that after Diva became pregnant her blood lost its dangerous qualities. Diva died and Saya lived. To help Saya complete her goal of finally putting an end to the chiropteran species, I allowed her to cut me and believe that she killed me with her blood when she didn't. I slipped off into hiding and expected to stay there for the rest of eternity when I found that you had become a new queen, oddly enough from Diva's daughter's generation. You are nothing like the others for you would've become a chevalier were you a male. You're an artifically created queen."

"How can a chiropteran be artifically created?" Michelle replied with horror in her eyes. _Is that why I'm unstable?_

"Well honestly, it's not something I _condone_ but brother Amshel did what he pleased. He created the term, although I don't think you would even know that. The 'chiropterans' that Saya was fighting that didn't resemble humans, they were not even natural-born chiropterans but artifical ones. Amshel created an extract from Diva's blood and introduced it into the blood of test subject humans. These humans would later become the chiropterans that Saya destroyed with her blood. Now, with that being said, you are somewhat similar in this way. You were created to be like a chevalier however, you changed into a third queen of the same generation. I understand that you go into hibernation cycles and only consume blood whenever it.. suits you."

"I'm not a monster, I just can't control it," Michelle spat back at him.

"I completely understand, it's only natural, you aren't human anymore. Since waking up from your hibernation, it seems as though your body has adjusted to that of a queen's futher, yes? Oddly enough, you're already begining to look like her... And I'm guessing, your mental stability is slowly becoming weaker every day, hm?"

Michelle's glare soffened to an honest expression of fear.

"Well I can tell you one thing right now, those idiots at the Red Shield will never be able to help you because they haven't been there themselves. They aren't chiropterans, they don't understand what it feels like. But I can. And not only can I help you regain control, but I can give you your life back, Michelle."

"What do you... mean?"

"I happen to own every major theatre company in the world. Think about it. You could be MdivaC again, but only under a different persona. I could teach you how to change your face, your voice, you could sing again but as whoever you wished to be this time. You could be anyone."

"And what are you getting out of this?"

"The satisfaction of being able to raise one of Diva's children the way I always wished I could've raised her. All I want from you is your dedication and loyalty, not just to me but to your blood family. Saya refused to accept her own kind, instead she murdered them in order to protect humans and further dilute herself into believing she was one of them. I would just hate to see you hurt yourself like that..."

Michelle looked away painfully. _Am I doing the same thing that she did?_

"Well, I don't need an answer right now but if you're interested, you can find me at this address," Nathan said, whipping a card out from the inside of his coat pocket and placing it in Michelle's hand delicately. "Until then, I bid you farewell."

And like that, he was gone.


	37. Apprentice section 2 chapter seventeen

Saya breathing slowed as she slept which had given Hagi the feeling that she was at peace, for the time being at the very least. He reached his left hand over and brushed her bangs to the side of her face before he gently kissed her forehead.

"I will return," he whispered.

With that, he left Saya's room and began walking down the hallway when something caught his eye. Buried beneath several photos that had been taped to the wall within the last several years, Hagi recognized the corner of one that he hadn't seen in a long time. He carefully pried it from beneath the others and cleaned the dust off of it with his bandaged hand. He recognized it as having been taken before Michelle became a chiropteran. The twins had been firing spitballs at Kai, who was holding a plate as a shield in defense. This commotion made Michelle laugh, which caused Hagi to smile at her in a moment that would forever be kept by this photo.

He carefully tucked the photo into the pocket on the inside of his coat to be beside his heart before he made his departure from Omoro, out into the night.

_He could help me, but should I trust him? _Michelle thought to herself as she laid in bed, gazing out at the moonlight from her window. _He said everything that I had been secretly thinking ever since I woke up. Those doctors, those people, they all think I'm crazy. They don't understand what I'm going through and how could they? They aren't like me. They've never been. How could they even consider what it feels like to be a chiropteran? All they do is look on their charts, tell me I'm fine and when I argue against that they call me crazy. There is something wrong with me and I fear that the only person I could trust with this could be Nathan..._

Suddenly, she felt a presence make its way toward her bedroom door. She silently jumped out of bed and made her way behind where the door would swing open.

_Nathan? Could he be back?_

As the door began to open, a familiar scent caused Michelle to step out from the shadows and face the man in her doorway.

"Hagi," she whispered.

Hagi met her gaze and stood for a moment several feet away before closing the space between them and wrapping his arms protectively around her shoulders. She closed her eyes and smiled as she laid her head against his chest comfortably.

"I've missed you," she admitted.

"I miss you... more than you know," he replied, holding her tighter.

When she felt a shaking deep within his chest she realized this wasn't a pleasurable visit, there was something wrong.

"What is it?" she whispered.

"I want you to be honest with me," he said, pulling away but keeping her at arms length. "I need you to tell me why you... Why did you feed from me?"

Michelle looked away furtively for a moment. "I honestly can't tell you why because I don't know myself. I haven't... felt right since I woke up. Whenever I'm around you I don't feel entirely like me, there's something else there, some other feelings... And then I end up biting you. You know me, Hagi, I'd never do something like that on my own."

"I know you wouldn't," he whispered, pulling her back to his chest and combing her hair down softly. "You did nothing wrong, I just... wanted to know how you felt about it. About _us_."

"Well then if I'm being honest. I want you to be honest too," Michelle replied, pulling away just long enough to lead him to sit with her on the edge of her bed. The dark canopy on either side of them. "Why didn't you stop Saya from attacking me?"

Hagi froze immediately at her question.

"Of course I knew you were holding back, Hagi, I know you better than that. You could catch a leaf falling off of a tree a mile away. There's no question that you could have stopped her before she ran into the hallway. I understand if you believe I deserved it, I just want to know why."

"No," Hagi shook his head painfully as he took her hand. "I would never let anyone hurt you, ever. I couldn't... I didn't see you. I didn't see _you_."

"What... do you mean?"

"It's hard to explain... I didn't see you as Michelle, I saw... someone else. It confused me and by the time I realized it was you it was too late."

"Is it the hair? I could always dye it another color, you know. I know you never liked black hair on me, even as a silly wig, but I thought maybe I could blend into society a little bit easier this way-"

"No," Hagi whispered, almost smiling, as he tucked a long strand behind her ear. Her blunt bangs cut just below her brow always had allowed him to see her eyes without having to smudge her makeup by moving them. Something he figured she had always done on purpose. "You are beautiful just the way you are. There is not a thing you could do that would deter me from being with you..."

Just as Hagi began to lean into her, she moved back and took her hand from beneath his. "Except becoming a chiropteran, right?"

Her cold words made him sit back up straight and face her seriously.

"You look at me different now, Hagi. Since the moment I became a Queen, you questioned if I was still the girl you knew. Do you remember that? It was only minutes before we nearly-"

"I remember," Hagi whispered.

"Ever since I became a chiropteran you questioned who I am, yet you've desired me more than you ever did before. Even now, you barely can recognize me as the human you knew yet you can't keep your hands off of me. Who is it that you want to be with, Hagi? Me, or Diva?"

The realization made Hagi stand to his feet and take several steps away from her.

"I despise Diva," he nearly hissed. "She ruined our lives and caused Saya anguish. She was our bitter enemy for well over a century."

"Then why do you keep projecting your image of her onto me? Do you hate me now?"

"I would never hate you," he replied with a hurt expression.

"Then why are you trying to make yourself?"


	38. Apprentice section 2 chapter eighteen

"Michelle, you aren't Diva," Hagi declaimed strongly.

"Who are you trying to convince? Me, or you?"

Hagi didn't respond, he simply took Michelle's hand, stood her up to face him, put a hand to her cheek and gazed into her eyes.

"I don't know," he whispered. "But the woman I see tonight is the woman I love. I promised you that nothing would change between us, and nothing has. It's just..."

"I understand. I'm mixed up inside too, Hagi... But you can't keep hiding things from me. I need you to be honest with me. A long time ago... I made you promise me that you would tell me if I was anything but myself. If I was anything but genuinely me. You've seen something else in me and yet you didn't tell me. I've felt- completely alone," she studdered, feeling tears sting her eyes. "You've always been there for me, but you let Saya hurt me and you kept your feelings from me."

"No words I could say would justify what I did, and I don't expect forgiveness, but you are not alone. Not anymore. Not ever again."

With that, Hagi pulled her face to his and kissed her deeply, making every hair on her arms stands stand on end. She wished nothing more than to pull him deeper into her as if to conjoin their bodies permanently so that could never leave, but she didn't. Instead of falling deeply into his seduction as she normally did, she allowed him to kiss her and then she pulled away.

"Not tonight," she whispered against his lips.

He separated his body from hers and nodded in understanding.

"I want nothing more than to rest. I've had a pretty tough day... But, if it's okay, I'll be over at Omoro tomorrow. You can warn Saya if you think it's necessary. I'd prefer less surprise attacks, if you get what I'm talking about," she said with a lighthearted grin while rubbing her neck.

"I will see you then," Hagi replied, stepping back and then disappearing through the doorway.

Saya woke early in the morning, and much to her surprise her chevalier was standing across the room holding a breakfast tray.

"Good morning," he said as he walked toward her.

She yawned and sat up in bed as he placed the tray across her lap.

"Thanks," she said, rubbing her eye as if to wake her easier. "How long was this setting?"

"Kai prepared it just now," he replied. "I imagined you would be waking soon from the way you were stiring in your sleep."

"Oh, right. Well, I'll make sure to thank Kai too when I get dressed... How are you feeling?"

Saya's question caught him off guard and all he could muster was a quizzical expression.

"Is that a good or a bad?" she giggled as she began digging into her food.

"I-... I am fine," Hagi replied curtly, unable to form a complete response. "But I am more interesting in knowing how you are feeling, Saya."

"Oh, Hagi, stop," Saya said, waving her hand with a mouthful of food. "You think too much about me, I'm just fine."

Hagi took his gaze from the sleepy girl in bed to the bright sky just outside the window. The world had become a much brighter place than he could remember.

"Hagi, you're smiling," Saya gasped with a bright smile.

In embarassment, Hagi's cheeks turned a faint pink and he quickly bowed and stepped out of the room.

"I always wonder what that man is thinking," Saya chuckled to herself as she finished her plate.

As the day progressed, Saya helped Kai in the kitchen as they prepared meals for the customers of Omoro and Hagi had been playing his cello back in the living room. Saya could faintly hear the tune of Bach's 5th suite prelude as she scrubbed dishes. It had always given her a sense of nostalgia and comfort. It was hard to believe she'd been out of practice in over 100 years. Maybe sometime she'd ask Hagi for lessons.

At one point in the day, a feeling of unease caught Saya off guard and caused her to accidentally break a glass she'd been cleaning.

"Jeez, Saya, not so rough," Kai said as he walked over to where she'd been standing. The glass cut her skin slightly but it healed instantly. "Here," he whispered as he turned the water on and put her hands beneath it to clean off the blood.

"I'm sorry, Kai, I just feel strange for some reason," Saya said as she rubbed her forehead.

"Maybe you should go lay down. Don't worry, I can handle things here," Kai replied as he patted her shoulder.

Just as Saya left the room and began walking down the hallway, Michelle entered through the front door.

"Hey," Kai called towards her. "How're you feeling?"

"Much better," Michelle replied as she walked through the room. "Where's Hagi?"

"Of course," Kai rolled his eyes. "He's-"

"Oh, nevermind, I can hear him," Michelle said with a smile as she headed toward the music coming from the back.

As she passed through the hall she noticed several new photos on the wall above the console. Most of them were on top of one another and the older ones were coated in dust. She brushed the dust off of several of them and moved new ones out of the way but one remained missing.

_"I wonder if when Saya wakes up, this picture won't be here anymore..."_

The thought raced through her mind in a haze of nostalgia as she desparately searched for it. She had pushed the console aside and gotten on hands and knees to check behind the wall for if it could've fallen.

_It's gone..._

Hurt washed through her as she stood to her feet and moved the console back in place. Suddenly, the cello had stopped. Michelle began walking toward the living room and cracked the door open slightly when she saw the image of Hagi holding Saya's hand across the room. Saya was smiling and Hagi looked worried, and then he began to smile too.

"I am... a fucking idiot," Michelle said out-loud with no regard for the volume of her voice.

Tears began to form in her eyes but she brushed them away quickly as she headed back down through the hall and into Omoro.

"Hey, did you find him? I think he was here- Michelle?"

Kai's voice drifted off into the distance as she headed out the way she'd come in.


	39. Apprentice section 2 chapter nineteen

Michelle was now standing in front of a door she'd never recognized, to an apartment she'd never known existed, holding the card that Nathan had given her in her black laced gloves. She rang the doorbell but before she expected it, the door had flung open without warning, causing her to jump back.

"Oh, my dear, how'd I know you'd come searching for me?" Nathan said with a smile. Today he was wearing another fine tailored suit, only this one was pure white with pink lining. "Because you are searching for love that cannot live, yet does not die."

Michelle followed him into the apartment and closed the door behind her. His apartment was massive, which was expected from the size of the building. Walking into his living space, the windows were floor to ceiling and the basic coloring was white on gray with pops of orange, pinks, but mostly blues. Directly in front of her sat a white grand piano with a vase of blue roses.

"I know it's a mess," Nathan said with a flip of his hand. "But I hope you can look past it. I've been dying to meet with you."

Nathan made his way to a circular couch that filled a large corner of the room and plopped down without hesitation.

"Although I have to admit, you look much prettier in white than you do in so much black."

"I normally wear black," Michelle stated. "And my hair is usually white."

"Very interesting. Was that something you picked up as a chiropteran or...?"

"I looked that way when I was human and up until my hibernation, I kept that appearance. It wasn't until I woke up and I wasn't... MdivaC anymore," Michelle swallowed hard. "I figured I'd do better to try to blend in."

"So tell me," Nathan gestured for Michelle to sit on the couch with him, which she hesitated to do but ended up giving in. "What's it like to be an adopted daughter of Diva?"

"Adopted daughter?"

"Well, it's the best title I can come up with considering how strange the situation is."

"Uhm... at first I felt fine. I felt more like a chevalier than anything. I mean, I still ate and slept but the only thing really different was the speed and strength I had as opposed to being human. After a while, when I came back to Okinawa still as a chiropteran, I felt a lot more sleepy and I had very strange, vivid dreams. I then fell into hibernation and woke up to take a snack on Hagi, which was completely out of my control. I just... I was so weak and light-headed and I saw him and something in me knew that if I drank his blood I would get strong... I don't know what came over me."

"Oh, Michelle, Michelle," Nathan shook his head. "You're acting like you're talking to your doctor. Talk to me like a friend."

"I still don't trust you," Michelle admitted, glancing in his direction.

"But I'm the only one you _can_ trust," the edge of his mouth curved. "Isn't that right?"

"How did you..."

"Oh, come on, did you think you could hide it forever? I've always known about you and Hagi, and the truth is I approve. He's quite handsome, isn't he? I've always thought so. I only wonder why Saya nor Diva saw it," he drifted off for a moment before he caught his thought again. "But I knew sooner or later you'd realize that he was only interested in you for your blood."

"What are you talking about?"

"Hagi loves Saya, that is a fact that has existence since the 1880s. He was merely having his fun with you as a human. It wasn't until you became a chiropteran that his instincts gave way to hormones and he'd think that he was in love with you. Tell me, has he been increasingly, oh I don't know, seductive since you became a chiropteran?"

Michelle's eyes widened.

"I thought so. You see, the way I figure is that Hagi was always meant to be Diva's groom. That's simply the way the chiropteran family tree goes. The knights, or chevaliers, would only be able to impregnate the opposite Queen that they served. It's kind of cruel and unusual, but it's the way it works. Hagi would never have been interested in Diva's twins because they were created from his chevalier brother as well as Diva. However, when you _became_ a third queen, artifically created of course, you had no ties to Hagi at all other than having been a human friend of his. Naturally, his instincts would tell him that you were on the same playing field as Diva, even though I don't believe he could impregnate you. Being artifically created, or in this case 'adopted' into the chiropteran family, your blood breaks all of the rules that we are governed by, that makes you far more difficult to understand."

"But wouldn't that mean Hagi had feelings for Diva?"

"His instincts would've told him that she was an available mother to his children, however his utter hate most likely detered him. He most likely never admitted this to Saya."

Michelle looked away, hurt.

"I know, it sucks," Nathan said, shaking his head. "But for what it's worth, I think that he honestly _believes_ that he's in love with you. And I mean, isn't that what it's all about? He's gorgeous, he wants you and he's willing to completely ignore his Queen to be with you."

"I think you're wrong."

"Oh?"

"Hagi always... was with me. Even before I became a chiropteran, he was always with me. What does that tell you? Has he ever been interested in a human companion before me? From what I've heard, no. But when I met him, he was just as interested in learning about me as I was of him. There was something there already. I don't think he only _wants_ me due to what his _instincts_ say, it may sound naieve but with all honesty, I believe he loves me."

"Perhaps... But onto another subject, have you wondered why Saya's still awake?"

"What do you mean?"

"Haven't you ever done the math? Saya was already asleep for several years before you went into your hibernation. She woke up years ago yet she's still awake today. Ever wonder why?"


	40. Apprentice section 2 chapter 20

"Hello?" Kai spoke into his old-fashioned phone as he wiped down a table for the night. "Why, what for? Is it an emergency?" he immediately tensed. "Well all right, I'll tell her."

"What is it, Kai?" Hagi asked as he appeared in the room beside him.

"You really need to start making sounds when you walk, it's kind of creepy," Kai said as he scratched his head. "But listen, that was the hospital, they said Saya needs to go down there right away. Apparently they need to talk to her about something or other."

Hagi nodded and existed the room just as quietly as he entered.

_Should I have mentioned that Michelle's waiting for her?_

"Tell me again, why does Saya need to be here for you to answer my question?" Michelle asked in a tone obviously giving away her annoyance.

"It is something very complex that we have to explain with both of you here. We'd explain it with the twins as well but they are still in their hibernation," the head female nurse named Mai said. (Mai, pronounced as "may")

"But why's it such a big deal? I just simply want to know why Saya hasn't gone back into hibernation, it has nothing to do with her actually being here. She kind of hates me, you know," Michelle drifted off as she looked out of the darkened window.

"Why are you suddenly so curious?" Mai asked.

_Nathan was right, these idiots have no idea what they're dealing with._

"I think I have a right to know, she is my blood family after all."

Just as Mai was about to make another remark in order to stall for time, Saya had made her way down the hall with Hagi to her back. Michelle wondered how long he'd always stood behind her, never to her side as her equal, but to her back like a subordinate. Mai greeted Saya kindly and invited her to sit in the meeting room she and Michelle had been waiting in for the last several minutes.

"You said it was an emergency," Saya said coldly as her eyes never left Michelle's in a tense glare.

"It isn't as serious as all that," Mai said, putting her hands up innocently. "I'm the only head nurse available at this hour with the rights to tell you such important information so please excuse my nervousness. I haven't had such an important task in some time so I may have overreacted."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Michelle took her eyes from Saya's to look towards Mai.

"Well, now that you both are here, let's see..." Mai flipped through a thick folder she'd been tightly hugging to her chest for the past several minutes. The pages seemed bent out of shape and she was doing them no justice as she nervously scraped them together.

Michelle put a hand to her forehead and groaned impatiently.

_I should've waited until someone who knew what the hell they were doing was available. This is taking forever, and Saya keeps staring at me. What's her problem? Okay, I understand that she was called down here because of me but I wasn't the one who called her down here. I don't even want her here. And there's poor Hagi, forced to be her bitch slave, why isn't he saying anything? Why didn't he greet me or anything? Probably Saya. She'll probably cut off his other hand if-_

"Ah, here we are," Mai cut off Michelle's tirade of thoughts as she pulled out a thick section of papers all paperclipped together.

"Let's hurry this up, please, I'm exhausted from _working all day_," Saya emphasized loudly in Michelle's direction as unnecessary aggression.

"I'm sorry, Saya," Michelle replied in a tone just as loud. "that I am such an inconvenience to your perfect fuckin existence, but I didn't know that to answer a _SIMPLE QUESTION_," Michelle emphasized in Mai's direction. "it would require hauling your mean-ass down here."

"I am NOT mean," Saya exclaimed, standing to her feet abruptly.

"Says the psycho bitch who nearly rammed me through a wall," Michelle replied, standing to her feet just as quickly, towering over Saya by her natural height as well as her platform shoes. "Are you even aware of what you sound like or are you just completely _diluted_?"

Michelle's words caused Saya's eyes to widen and the color from her face drained.

"Ha-Hagi," Saya called out as she stormed out of the room.

Just as Hagi began to follow her out, Michelle stomped her foot down and declaimed, "Don't you dare leave, Hagi."

Hagi immediately stopped and looked towards Michelle with a hurt expression of helplessness.

"Is that what you're going to do every time you face me, Saya? Run away and take your bitchboy with you? No, offense, Hagi," Michelle added with a soft smile in his direction. "Rather than talking this out and trying to act like a mature adult, you just run away and try to push me out of your family, push me out of existence. Well guess what? I exist, and I am a chiropteran just like you, and there is nothing you can do to make me go away. The least you can do is try to be civil but NO, apparently that's completely out of the realm of possibilities with you. Why do you hate me so much?"

Saya had stopped at the door and looked back, more hurt than angry now. A long silence had passed through the room for several seconds until it was broken.

"I don't hate you," Saya said sincerely. "I'm afraid of you. Every time I see your blue eyes, your black hair, I see her. I see Diva. I can hear her singing, laughing at me, taunting me, every time I see you. Since the moment we met after you became a chiropteran I saw her in you. Hagi sees it too, and he's just as afraid. Couldn't you just leave us alone?"

Michelle couldn't think of another thing to say so instead she sat back in her chair and looked to her hands on her lap.

_I've always been in her way._

Saya shook her head and waved for Hagi to follow her out, when he paused and looked back in Michelle's direction.

"Why didn't you come to Omoro today?" he nearly whispered.

"I did," Michelle replied coldly.

Realizing that was all she had to say, Hagi followed Saya out.

"Well, that was a terrible idea," Mai said with tears in her eyes. "I didn't know that you two had such problems. I never would've thought that... Here's the file."

Mai handed Michelle the file just as she left the room, pushing up her glasses and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

What a sensitive woman, _I was the one in the middle of everything and I'm not even crying..._ Michelle thought to herself as she opened the file. She carefully read the title and gasped. _I have to tell Nathan._


	41. Apprentice section 2 chapter 21

"Now this is just simply a perversion of nature," Nathan exclaimed, slamming down the file he had been studying for several minutes. "Those idiots at the Red Shield have really hit a new level."

"I thought the same thing," Michelle replied.

"I mean really, forcing a Queen to stay awake past her hibernation? That's simply not natural! That's why these humans are so dangerous to our species. They keep trying to make us like them, when we just simply are not. Queens are meant to hibernate, if that upsets some humans because they will grow old while the Queen is gone well then, they'll have to get over it."

"It was explained that they did it by injection as soon as Saya had woken up," Michelle added. "I wonder why... they didn't offer it to me."

Nathan raised an eyebrow.

"Not that I want it," Michelle quickly added. "Or anything..."

"My guess would be that being an artifically created Queen, they might have thought it'd be dangerous to you. But really, count yourself lucky. I only can imagine what will happen to Saya now. Just because she isn't sleeping yet, doesn't mean that she will never fall asleep. Who knows, in a couple of years she could fall into a hibernation that could last 200 years."

"I wish," Michelle retorted with a furtive glance.

"I see you two aren't getting along, what's that about?"

"She's a psycho bitch who thinks I'm Diva so she hates me due to her own delusion."

"Saya always has been one to not have the best grip on reality," Nathan shook his head. "If she'd stop acting like such a human she wouldn't have an issue. You know, Diva had offered Saya a chance to join her and her _real_ family several times but on every occasion Saya turned her down, claiming she'll always fight to protect humans and blah, blah, blah."

"I feel bad."

"We all do, but it's her own choice-"

"I mean about Hagi."

"Oh?" Nathan began smiling.

"Last night, Saya had ordered him to leave with her and I made him stop. I obviously put him between us and he didn't know what to do. I never had wanted to put him in such a place but ugh, that girl just irritates me. She acts like she owns the place, owns him, and that I'm just a mistake that should've never happened. How dare she?"

"I'd say that she's jealous."

The thought had never occured to Michelle, causing her to not know how to respond.

"Think about it. She's never known how to talk to Hagi, she just orders him around like a puppy who can't think for himself, then here you come into the picture, someone who relates to him better than she ever could, and suddenly he's disobeying her orders. Saya's always had one thing over him, and that was always control... That is, until you showed up and changed everything. And you also mentioned that she's afraid of you. Fear and jealousy combined can make one cranky Saya."

"Well what am I supposed to do? Just stay away from them like she told me to? Because I refuse to take her orders. If anything I'll start hanging around even more just to-" Michelle caught herself before she went into a rant. "I just don't... like being told what to do."

"And I don't even blame you. This is quite an awkward situation... Tell me, have you ever considered getting a chevalier of your own?"

"What?"

"Well, isn't that why you want Hagi has your own? He's immortal like you, he can wait up for you any number of years you sleep and he never gets bored of you. Why don't you get your own? He's kind of taken, you know."

"That isn't why," Michelle replied, almost laughing. "I love him. I love... everything about him. He's everything I've ever looked for in a man. He understands me, and he accepts me for who I am. It feels like we were always meant to be together, and yet..."

"And yet, he belongs to Saya."

"I've always known that I'd have to give him up one day, I always knew that Saya wouldn't just go away because I wanted her to... I just don't think I'm ready to yet."

"Well, what are you planning, exactly? What do you plan on doing after he's gone?"

"I honestly... don't know."

"Hagi, why didn't you listen to me?" Saya demanded, staring into his eyes vehemently. "You're supposed to be on _my_ side, you are _my_ chevalier, not hers."

"You are my Queen, Saya, but I am not your slave. I have feelings, I have rights, and I can make my own decisions. Last night you were very cruel to the woman I love, something inexcusable and rude and frankly, I don't see how you thought you could've manipulated me the way you attempted to. If you force me to choose a side, I will."

Saya looked astonished as he stood up for himself, then she quickly looked away.

"But I don't think that you would," Hagi added. "Because that wasn't you speaking last night, that was your fear. You aren't a cruel person, Saya, you have always been warm and loving, but when you allow your negative emotions to control you, you act terribly. There is nothing I can do to change the way i feel about her, she will always be in my heart, and there is nothing I would ever want to change about being your chevalier. I only hope that you could understand and learn to like her because she's going to be here as long as I am."

"I... understand," Saya forcefully agreed. "I've been unfair, not only to your emotions but to her. I don't even know her and yet I act as though she's the enemy. I'm sorry, Hagi."

"You are always forgiven, Saya."


	42. Apprentice section 2 chapter 22

It was late and Michelle had decided after a day of speaking with Nathan that she'd take a break from chiropteran affairs. She had just sat down and began watching a TV show as she looked over old sheet music she had kept in storage.

"I haven't worked on this aria in a while," she said to herself as she flipped through the pages. "But I guess I don't have to... All the time in the world left to me for eternity and there's nothing I want more than to go back. I wish I could bleach my hair white again and go on world tours, but that ship has been gone for a very long time. There was once a person who said, 'the only things you need in life to stay happy are work and love'... Speaking of which, whatever happened to the man I love? Oh right, he's with someone else."

She angerly threw the sheet music across the room and watched it flutter to the floor innocently. She immediately grabbed a decorative pillow from the couch, held it to her face and screamed into it.

"Where is the justice in life? I spend all of my time hanging around chiropterans and then I become one and suddenly everything is taken from me. Maybe I should've stayed in America and never met Hagi. By this point, I'd be a middle-aged woman happily married to some poor loser who fell for my charm living by my family- or even better, the city. Why did I even stay here? Because of Hagi? I threw my life away, just for some guy."

The sitcom on TV's canned laughter blared in Michelle's ears. They were laughing at her, they're always laughing at her.

"Yeah, laugh it up, it's so fucking funny."

Just as Michelle slammed the pillow back down to the couch, her doorbell began ringing. She stood up, confused, and began walking down the hallway to the door.

_It's 10pm, who could it be? Well, the better question is, what __**human**__ could it be to actually ring the doorbell rather than bursting in?_

Just as she opened the door, her dark blue eyes met familiar turquoise ones and a moment stood lost in the silence.

_Hagi. He's here. He's here to see me, but then why didn't he just come in?_

"Uh, hi," Michelle whispered quietly.

"Hello," Hagi replied with a faint smile.

Just as Michelle was going to open the door further and invite him in, she noticed standing to his side was a familiar brunette girl.

"Dahh-" Michelle dropped from her romantic haze and took several paces back before she caught herself and stood her ground. "I wasn't expecting that."

"I believe you two need to find some common ground," Hagi said as he backed up and waved for Saya to enter the apartment before him. Michelle didn't hesitate to let Saya in.

_Like a lamb walking into a lion's den... Fuck with me here, and I'll have the upper hand._

Neither girl spoke as Saya walked into Michelle's apartment and faced her. Confidently turning her chin up, Michelle made use of her height to give Saya the impression that she wasn't to be messed with in her own home. Saya understood and looked down at the floor. When Hagi didn't move from the hallway, both girls looked at him confused.

"Kai asked me to run a couple errands for him, I hope you don't mind if I leave you two to settle your differences amongst yourselves for a moment."

_He planned this._

"You planned this," Saya stated.

"You took the thoughts right out of my head," Michelle replied, both girls now glaring at Hagi.

"I would only get in the way."

And with that, he was gone.


	43. Apprentice section 2 chapter 23

Michelle knew that Hagi was getting revenge for the two girls putting him in the middle of their last fight, but she didn't have time to say anything before he had disappeared. Sighing to herself, she closed the door and began to lead Saya into her living room.

"You can have a seat," Michelle said as she pointed towards a chair several feet away from the couch she was planning to sit on.

"You must do well for yourself," Saya said, almost as a whisper as she ogled the large room she stood in.

"I did," Michelle replied curtly as she sat stiffly on the couch she had, just minutes ago, been sprawled out on.

Saya sat down comfortably in the chair designated to her and began tapping her legs impatiently, obviously waiting for either Michelle to speak first or Hagi to come rescue her.

Michelle replied to her tapping by folding her arms in contempt and looking out of the window onto the clear night. Subconsciously, she began humming to herself.

"What song is that?" Saya asked.

"'Aria of the Queen of the Night' from The Magic Flute," Michelle replied. "It's all over there if you want to read it," she pointed to the pile of sheet music papers across the room.

"I can't read music," Saya replied. "Well, not anymore, that is. I used to, a long time ago. I played the cello."

"Never tried again since then?"

"I wasn't very good at it to begin with, Hagi surpassed me in only a couple of years," she chuckled. "I always told him he wasn't getting any better but despite my criticism, he never stopped playing. I guess I was jealous. Truth is, he wasn't getting any better because he was already perfect. When we were fighting Diva, I just kind of gave up trying to improve. I'm not very musical."

"Ah," Michelle replied, standing to her feet and walking over to collect her sheet music from the floor.

"From what Kai tells me, you're pretty amazing at what you do," Saya added.

"I used to be," Michelle replied. "But now I'm no longer allowed to perform because I'm supposed to be dead. Everything I worked for is to no use now."

"You could still perform."

"I highly doubt that anyone has forgotten my face already. One note and they'll know it's me. I can dye my hair, wear different clothes, but I am still me."

Saya looked away with a pained expression.

"Hm?"

"This is all because of me, isn't it?"

"I wouldn't say _that_, I mean you aren't responsible for my actions. I chose to hang around chiropterans and poof, now I'm a chiropteran. It isn't really a surprise."

"There was a moment that I was going to end our race altogether. I had the sword in my hands and I was going to end the lives of the twins and then myself... And then Kai told me that he still accepted me as part of his family... And I stopped..."

Michelle's eyes opened wide to Saya's honesty but then quickly closed as she stacked the papers of her sheet music together.

"That's pretty selfish."

"What?"

"Well I mean, think about it. You're not human but you may as well be. People love and care about you, if they didn't then they wouldn't have bothered helping you with your personal decision to hunt and kill Diva. They risked their lives just to be there for you. And not to mention, what would Hagi have done without you? Do you think he'd just move on and live a full happy life without you? Of course not, he can't live without you. You may not believe chiropterans should exist but who are you to wipe out our race? You're not God."

"I... guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right," Michelle rolled her eyes. "You need to stop thinking about how things will affect you and start thinking about the bigger picture."

"You're so confident," Saya looked away with an annoyed expression. "How do you know so much?"

"Because I've lived so much. But tell me, Saya, in the time that you've been speaking with me, do you see me or Diva?"

"I see... you."

"Now we're making some progress-"

"Hello!"

Michelle's eyes widened as she recognized the voice calling to her. Saya quickly stood to her feet, wondering if it had been Hagi's voice she heard.

_Well, this is about to get awkward._


	44. Apprentice section 2 chapter 24

(Writer's Note: Happy birthday, Frank)

Saya's eyes widened in horror as she recognized the figure walking into the room. Michelle quickly stood to her feet and in a moment of slow motion, attempted to hide him.

"Oh my," Nathan whispered as he stopped, putting a hand to his mouth.

In an instant, Saya had jumped from the chair she'd been residing in, grabbed hold of Michelle's arm and flung her several feet away. She quickly moved to grab Nathan by the throat and knocked him on the ground. Michelle was stopped spinning by slamming into a large mirror she had propped against the wall. The glass shattered, causing her to hold her arms above her head to avoid being cut.

"You're supposed to be dead!" Saya exclaimed in horror, grabbing a piece of glass from the floor and cutting her hand deeply with it. "I swear I cut you with my blood! I swear I did!"

"Saya, stop!" Michelle screamed, reaching towards the small girl as she pinned Nathan down with her knees on his elbows. He made no attempt to move, only showed an expression of regret.

"I won't screw up this time!" Saya vowed as she plunged the shard of glass into Nathan's chest.

A moment of silence passed as Nathan didn't crystalize and Saya began screaming in horror, stabbing him over and over again.

"Saya, stop" Michelle repeated as blood pooled on the floor and splattered against the furniture. "He won't die!"

"I'm sorry to break it to you," Nathan began as he gripped Saya's hand before she could make anymore damage. He slowly began to stand and carefully stood her up before him, making sure not to drop her. "But she's right."

"Michelle... how do you know him?" Saya breathed, taking several steps back, suddenly realizing she was covered in blood.

"It's going to be okay," Michelle whispered, as she stood up, putting her hands in a gesture for Saya to calm down. "He isn't our enemy."

"Our? I'm starting to wonder whose side you're on," Saya tossed the mirror shard from her hand towards Michelle's feet.

"Now, now, don't be angry with her," Nathan said, wiping blood from his cheek calmly. "I stayed in hiding simply to give you the illusion that you achieved your goal. I wasn't planning on showing myself to you again, but here we are."

"Why can't I kill you?"

"Because I am not Diva's chevalier. I was your mother's."

"My mother's?" Saya's eyes filled with tears. "How?"

"It's a rather long story my dear, perhaps we could talk it over some other time. All you really need to know for the moment, so you stop stabbing me, is that I'm not your enemy. I simply guarded Diva as the unloved daughter and now that she's gone, you are the only one I have left to watch over. I never caused you harm, nor do I plan on it."

Saya didn't speak, she only began walking towards the door.

"Saya, you can't go out like that," Michelle called out. "You're drenched in blood. You could take a shower or at least let me give you something to put on."

She didn't stop, only stumbled to the door, opened it and closed it behind her.

"Well, she's a stubborn one," Nathan stated as he rolled his eyes.

"I think she just needs to calm down, she'll be okay... Not so sure about her outfit. It's really hard to get bloodstains out of cotton."

"Where is her trusty chevalier when she needs him?"

"Ah! Hagi! I totally forgot about him!" Michelle exclaimed, slapping herself in the forehead. "Oh no, he's going to totally freak out when he sees her. Or worse, if he comes back here..."

"Say no more, I'll disappear in a moment, but about that shower..."

"All right, but I don't have any spare clothes you could wear."

"Who needs clothes when you can transform?" Nathan winked.

"I'm not entirely sure which idea creeps me out more, a guy walking around covered in blood or you roaming around as a naked chiropteran. Either way, you need to get the hell out of this room. I'll try to clean up the mess."

Nathan quickly went to the bathroom and Michelle ran to the closet to grab several dark towels and a mop.

_Swiffer doesn't make a mop strong enough for this job, but it'll have to do._

She quickly got on her hands and knees and mopped up what blood she could with her towels and then started scrubbing when the front door opened.

_Oh shit._

Hagi walked into the room and then suddenly paused when he saw Michelle on the floor.

"Yeah, we kind of had a little accident, uhm, Saya is not here at the moment," Michelle said, pushing the bloody pile of towels behind the couch in an attempt to hide them.

"Where is she?" Hagi asked, almost annoyed.

"I don't know, she sort of stormed off... but I think she's starting to like me," Michelle replied with a faint smile.


	45. Apprentice section 2 chapter 25

Hagi had left to find Saya, Nathan had showed and left in a mysterious manner, not allowing Michelle to see him, which she didn't disagree with, and the mess was mostly cleaned up.

_That was my favorite mirror too. Ugh, I swear I can't have nice things with chiropterans around._

Michelle, now dressed in a long, dark nightgown, plopped onto her bed and pulled a pillow over her face as she screamed in anguish. She then threw the pillow across the room, slamming it into the wall, and grabbed her cellphone from the nightstand to check her messages. She had called Kai several times asking if Hagi and Saya had returned and he said he would call her back when they did. Apparently, they haven't yet.

"Ugh, damn Nathan, fucking barging in just because he can. I'm so tired of these chiropteran men just doing whatever they please in MY house. I never show up to THEIR homes unannounced. But chiropteran or human, they're still men. Stupid, idiotic, self-centered-"

Michelle's rant was quickly cut off by her cellphone ringing _La Donna e mobile. _Kai was calling. She didn't let it ring a second time before picking it up.

"Are they home?"

"Hello to you too," Hagi replied.

"Ah-" her eyes widened and her mouth dropped at the sound of his unexpected voice. "Hagi, you've never called me before. You usually just show up in my apartment. I wasn't even sure you knew how to use a phone..."

"I am quite versed in modern electronics, I simply choose not to use them. I am returning your several phone calls to Kai, who has retired for the night and left a note explaining to call you back."

"You may be intelligent but you still talk as though you're still in the 19th century. Nobody uses the word 'retire' to explain going to bed. We just say 'going to bed'. But anyway, that's beside the point-" Michelle shook her head when she realized how rude she was being. "How is Saya?"

"She has also 'gone to bed', and for the record I do mix modern and older ways of speaking together, you just don't appreciate it."

"I'm sorry. Is she okay? I can pay for her dry-cleaning if she wants..."

"Michelle, it was not your fault, you have no responsibility for her actions. You handled her outburst well and stopped her from causing any more damage. If anything, we should be repaying you for the cleaning service it will take to remove all of the blood."

"I think I got a pretty good amount of it cleaned up on my own. Plus, Nathan said he'd come by later and help get the rest-" she quickly paused when she realized she'd said his name out-loud.

Hagi didn't reply.

_STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!_ Michelle's mind screamed as hit her head against her cellphone.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Michelle quickly stopped banging her head when she heard the hurt in his voice.

"You... you were there when all of this went down. You supported Saya's decision to exterminate the chiropteran race and you were there when she thought she'd killed Nathan. I didn't think you'd appreciate knowing that he survived, knowing that even if Saya did go through with her plans that he'd still exist. He found me and wanted to help me, to teach me about chiropterans. I didn't expect that you guys would ever see him again. I'm sorry."

"I only wish you trusted me more. I would've understood. But I'm afraid I must cut this conversation short, Saya wishes to speak with me."

"Okay, I'll talk to you later then," Michelle listened closely into her phone as Hagi hung up before saying 'goodbye.' She closed her phone hopelessly and rested the back of her wrist against her forehead.

_He's hurt. I hurt him._

"We talked about the cello... Michelle is very talented," Saya whispered as she looked out of the window beside her bed. Hagi was sitting by her feet. "She's really smart too. Everything she says is so confident and insightful. I wish I could be like that. Like _her_."

"You are perfect just the way you are, Saya," Hagi whispered, leaning over her to stroke her arm, leading to her hand. She took his hand and intertwined her fingers with his.

"I wish I could believe that. You know, you could be with her right now. She'd probably appreciate your company more than me. She's just like you."

A singing pain burned his heart thinking about her.

_She doesn't trust me._

He then took his hand from Saya's and brushed her hair back from her face.

"Get some rest. I will be here when you wake."


	46. Apprentice section 2 chapter 26

Michelle was woken by the sound of pounding at her front door and groaned as she turned over. The digital clock beside her bed said 8:30am. She threw the blankets off of herself dramatically, causing a rush of air to sweep across the room and blow sheet music papers from her desk. From there, she stood up and without bothering to check her appearance in the mirror, headed for the door.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" she complained as she flung the door open.

"I'm sorry, I thought you'd be awake," Saya said as she uncomfortably rubbed her hands together. She wore a pink T-shirt, jeans and gym shoes. Her short black hair was combed to the side as it always was. "I could come back at a later time."

"No, no," Michelle rubbed her face, knowing she was smearing her makeup, and tossed a chunk of messy hair from her face. "Is there something going on? What- what's going on?" she added in a sleepy haze.

"Oh, nothing, I just... thought I should come over and apologize about last night. It was rude of me just to storm off but, I was kind of confused. I thought maybe we could attempt to have a normal girl's day today."

Michelle looked confused but shook her head and waved Saya on to come inside. Once inside, she quickly went to her bedroom for a hair brush and began untangling the snarles.

"I'm kind of an early riser," Saya added as she scoped the room. "but I could come back later if you'd prefer."

"Why were you pounding on the door?" Michelle asked as she flipped her hair the other way and continued brushing.

"Oh, well, you weren't answering your cellphone and I thought you couldn't hear me knock..."

"You're right, I didn't and I couldn't... because I was _asleep_," Michelle laughed. "But no sense in getting upset about it, I'm awake now. So, uhm, what's Hagi doing while you're out?"

"He's helping Kai run shop. I keep telling Kai he needs to hire more employees but he refuses, wants to keep it a family business or whatever. He's just stubborn."

"Yeah, Kai's kind of getting up there. But I suppose the twins could help him for a couple of years whenever they wake up... any idea when they're waking up?"

"Not a clue."

"Ah, well, I need to get dressed. I'll be back in a little while, you can watch TV or something while you wait," Michelle said, waving her hand and heading off into her bedroom.

_What on earth should I wear? Of course not something too hardcore, it's Saya I'm going to be parading around with... Ugh, it's so much easier to match Hagi... Well, it's not entirely that I wish to _match_ her, it's just that I don't want it to look entirely weird walking with her. Ahh- what am I saying? A couple of days ago she tried to kill me and now we're hanging out like buddies?_

Michelle shook her head and quickly grabbed a lacey pink and black gothic lolita dress from her closet and matched it with black lace gloves and tights. She wore her makeup simple and put her hair up in pigtails. She missed her white hair.

_But that's not who I am anymore._

It had been about a half hour before she left her bedroom and found Saya watching a talk show on TV.

"All right, let's go," Michelle said, grabbing her purse from an end table beside the couch and heading out. "Unless you don't want to go out for breakfast."

Saya quickly turned the TV off and headed with her out the door and down the hall.

Hagi gazed deeply out of the window of Omoro to the bright, blue sky above full of fluffy white clouds that moved ever so slightly in the wind.

_Please let them get along. Please._

He carefully rubbed his bandaged right hand and tucked a lock of hair behind his ear as Kai entered the room.

"Good morning," Kai said, scratching his head. "Is Saya up yet?"

"She's decided to have a 'girl's day' with Michelle. She's already headed out for the day," Hagi replied. "I am to take her place here and help you."

"Uhh, all right... are you sure they're okay together? I mean, Saya just broke a couple of Michelle's ribs the other day."

"Saya has assured me that she has her emotions under control now and I trust her."

"And Michelle has just been okay with all of this?"

"From what I know she is."

"Well all right, your funeral," Kai rolled his eyes. "But if you plan on helping me you better make yourself useful."


	47. Apprentice section 2 chapter 27

The sun was shining extra bright this day, causing Michelle to put her sunglasses on from eye irritation. Saya seemed unphased by the light.

"So, any ideas on where you want to go?" Michelle asked, brushing a long strand of hair from her face.

"Well, uhm, is there anywhere you'd prefer to go?"

"Not really, I don't really eat much anymore."

Saya quickly stopped, grabbing Michelle's hand to stop with her. The girls looked at one another for a moment before Michelle slipped her hand from Saya's grip.

"What?" she asked, smoothing her glove back down.

"Oh, uh, nothing," Saya quickly began walking down the sidewalk again. "We could catch the bus and head on over to Sosu, there's more restraunts there."

"If you think your stomach can handle the wait, I'm fine with it."

Within minutes they had made it to the bus stop and found their seats on the crowded bus. The roof had given Michelle more coverage from the sun, which allowed her to remove her sunglasses for the time being. She noticed some of the other passengers were gawking at her so she simply smiled and waved, causing them to quickly retract their eyes and go back to their own business.

"Do you get that a lot?" Saya asked.

"All my life," Michelle replied.

Saya didn't respond, which made Michelle relax comfortably in her seat as she stared out of the window. Clouds had begun to take over the sky in the direction they were headed, giving her relief.

"I'll never adapt to the Okinawa weather," Michelle shook her head. "Give me snow any day."

Saya smiled and added, "I've seen snow before... Back with Kai and Riku when we were in Russia."

"Russia can be a very beautiful place sometimes."

"Or very dangerous."

"Mhm," Michelle nodded.

Around 20 minutes later they had reached their destination and left the crowded bus to enter the busy street. They walked several blocks until Saya found a restraunt that she liked.

_Finally,_ Michelle's thought to herself as they entered.

The room was cozy and reminded them both of Omoro. Saya ordered enough food to feed an army and Michelle ordered tea.

"You really aren't hungry?" Saya asked as she stuffed her mouth full of rice.

"I haven't been in a while. I mean, it's not that I don't like eating, I just don't need to."

"Oh..."

With that, Saya finished her meal and the girls were back outside.

"What do you want to do?" Michelle asked as they strolled down the sidewalk almost completely covered with people. She was almost afraid she'd lose Saya in the crowd.

"Look, there's a shop over here," Saya said, grabbing Michelle by the arm and pulling her through the crowd into another place.

The store was full of random knick-knacks such as snow globes, dream catchers and jewelry. There were only a couple of people inside, obviously unamused by the tourist attraction. Something that caught Michelle's attention were T-shirts being sold with English print on them.

"Oh, get a load of this," she laughed as she walked over to them. "Can you read these?"

"No," Saya admitted.

"That's the point. People in America wear shirts with Japanese print on them all the time with absolutely no clue what they're saying. This one," she picked one up. "says 'I love Japan'... this one says 'That's how I roll'."

Saya laughed picked one up. "What does this one say?"

"That one says-"

_**You can't kill me cause I'm already inside you.**_

__Suddenly, Michelle turned around to see who was talking to her, when she saw no one there. Chills ran down her spine when she realized the voice was familiar. It began laughing.

"Michelle?" Saya asked.

_**What are you doing with my sister? She likes you? She never liked me.**_

__"I'm sorry."

"What for?" Saya asked, dropping the T-shirt.

"Uhm, I..." she quickly looked around, there was no one there still. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Nathan."

"Oh..." Saya shrank back. "It isn't your fault. He said himself he didn't want us to know he was still alive."

Michelle frowned and looked along the table, when she quickly found a bin of small ribbons attached to hairclips. On the top of the pile sat a petite, pink ribbon. She quickly picked it up and hid it within her hand.

"This is for you," she said and with chiropteran speed placed the hairclip in Saya's hair, holding her bangs back to the side.

Saya turned to face the mirror and smiled as she patted down the ribbon. "It's so pretty."

"Think of that as my way of making amends, or at least trying to."

Saya frowned. "But I'm the one who should be trying to make amends with _you_..."

Michelle rolled her eyes. "We both were acting ridiculous... but, since we're both going to be around for quite some time, I think we should try getting along a little bit better."

"Deal," Saya nodded.


	48. Apprentice section 2 chapter 28

"I'm back," Saya announced as she walked into Omoro. It had just closed and Kai and Hagi were working on cleaning the tables.

"Saya," the two said in unison.

"Miss me that much?" she laughed.

Hagi quickly walked over to kneel before her, took her hand and kissed it. "Did it go well?" he asked hopefully.

"It did, we went shopping and talked a lot and then the next thing we knew it was dark out and we headed back. She took a separate bus back to her place. I really misjudged her, she actually is a lot of fun once you get to know her. At- at one point," Saya began giggling. "these guys were flirting with us and-"

Hagi's expression became serious and he stood to his feet.

Saya quickly retracted what she was about to say and replaced it with, "and we said 'no, we aren't interested'..."

"Well, it sounds like you had a good time," Kai said, trying to keep his laughter in. Hagi obviously had not found it funny whatsoever.

"We did," Saya concluded with a grin. "but, I'm really tired so I'm just going to go take a shower and head off to bed."

"Goodnight," Kai called out to her as he continued to clean the table he was working on and she walked out into the hallway. After a moment, he added, "You know, you're finished for the day now Hagi. You can go do whatever it is you want."

"We have not finished," Hagi stated simply.

"Yeah, but Saya's home now. Don't you want to go spend some time with her?"

"You heard her, she said that she was taking a shower and retiring for the night."

Kai groaned and began scrubbing harder. "Really though, I can finish by myself, if you want to go play your cello or something..." Suddenly, a thought came to mind. "Hey, Hagi, isn't Michelle's apartment just a couple of miles away from here?"

"Yes, why?"

"Well, Saya said that they took separate buses coming back. Couldn't they have just taken the same one if she lives close enough by?"

Hagi immediately stopped cleaning the table and looked out of the window. He just then realized she wasn't heading home. She was going somewhere else.

"You said you can finish this by yourself?" Hagi asked, dropping his rag onto the table and walking toward the door.

"I'll see you later," Kai said, trying to hide the smile in his voice. Once Hagi had left, he sighed and shook his head. "Finally, that got rid of him. I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't mind the guy, but after all day with him, it gets kind of exhausting."

"Who are you talking to?"

Kai immediately spun around to see Saya standing in the doorway holding clothes and a towel in her arms.

"Uh, no one, myself I guess..."

"Where's Hagi?" she asked, looking around.

"He went out to do some things..."

"What kind of things?"

"Hagi things, I guess. Weren't you taking a shower?"

"I am, I am," Saya said, waving her hand as she continued back down the hallway to the bathroom.*

*Hagi quickly sprinted overtop buildings, enjoying the night air, as well as being away from Kai for a couple of minutes.

_Where are you, Michelle?_

In no time, he was at Michelle's apartment building and he carefully jumped from the roof, across the balconies and onto hers. He picked the lock with one of his claws and opened the door. No one was there. He walked through her living room and found scattered sheet music across the floor as well as pictures cut out from magazines. They were all of Michelle, back when she was MdivaC, but her hair was colored in black by a sharpee in every picture. Over top of her mouth she had drawn stitches as if closing it permanently.

_What has happened to you?_*

*"Oh, my darling, what are you up to at this hour?" Nathan asked as Michelle made her way through his living room.

"I was having... problems. I was out with Saya-"

"Here we go," he plopped down.

"No, we actually got along this time... we had a really good day, but... I kept hearing Diva's voice in my head."

"Now this is getting interesting."


	49. Apprentice section 2 chapter 29

"I've heard her voice before, actually... I think it's hers anyway. This time she addressed Saya as her sister." Michelle said, her hands shaking.

"Oh, wow, I've never heard of this happening... although, Queens do have a level of telepathy with one another. When Saya and Diva were separated, Saya could hear her voice singing even though they were miles away. Even when she found her, they were never face-to-face speaking, they communicated in a way that humans couldn't understand," Nathan replied.

"But Diva's dead. It's not like one of the twins or Saya. Diva is dead."

"But her blood lives on through not only her children, but you too now."

Michelle's eyes widened and she sat down across the curved couch from Nathan. "Does this mean I'm going to be stuck like this? She taunts me, she laughed today. What does it take to make her go away?" she gasped. "What if... what if Saya and Hagi were hearing and seeing Diva through her telepathic connection to me? What if I was affecting them like Diva has?"

"That's most likely the case," Nathan began. "I can't tell you why Diva has manifested herself in this form through you, or even if it's her doing at all, but there's a reason why. What do you do when you hear her talking to you?"

"I usually just ignore it until it goes away."

"Well, it's obvious she wants to be heard for whatever reason. My thoughts- her children are in hibernation and you're the only one available to hear her. Therefore, it only makes sense she'd be going through you."

"But we sound insane, it's not like Diva's ghost is contacting us from the other side... right?" Michelle looked around herself.

"Probably not. As long as I've lived I've never seen a ghost, especially not that of a former chiropteran. Diva's body is dead, I saw her crystalize myself as she held her babies. However, there is a possibility that there is part of her that lives on through her children, as well as you being of her blood. Has there been any specific provocation for Diva's showing herself?"

"I don't know... Sometimes when I forget... myself, she comes to mind. But when I begin to speak as myself she goes away. Today I heard her when I was with Saya. She said something like 'Why does my sister like you?'"

Nathan stood up and began walking towards Michelle. He knocked gently on her head twice and said, "Diva? Are you in there? It's Nathan... Diva?"

"What the hell are you doing?" Michelle exclaimed, slapping his hand away.

"Well, it was worth a shot. I don't see YOU coming up with any ideas."

"Why would I want her to talk to me? That's the PROBLEM."

"Yes, but the solution is to listen to what she has to say. If you keep ignoring her she will only wish to be heard more."

Michelle groaned and flopped her head back onto the couch.

"I'm guessing that isn't the only thing bothering you lately, hmm?"

She sighed and stood up. Nathan wasn't a particularly tall man and with platform shoes on she was at least a couple of inches taller than him.

"You said something about... you could give me my life back. Do you remember?"

"Ah, the diva isn't satisfied with staying in the sidelines, is she?" Nathan smiled furtively.

"No, I'm absolutely miserable. I look over sheet music I performed hundreds of times, songs that made my soul sing and now I'm not allowed to perform them anymore. Hell, I couldn't even practice without someone finding it eerie. Why can't the world know of chiropterans? If they did, I wouldn't have to hide anymore..."

"Yes, but would you not have preferred to have died while you were still a beloved singer? What if you showed back up, what then? Your fans who mourned your death would resent you for lying, your family would be shocked and horrified to know that you live after death. It's too late, my dear. MdivaC is dead. However, I don't believe that means you must hide in the shadows for very much longer. I can teach you ways, things only chiropterans can do. You can change your face, your body, your voice, all by the blood within you. In some ways chiropterans may as well be the same as humans, but in other ways our genetic structure is completely different."

Nathan held his hand up and pulled the sleeve of his pale blue shirt back behind his elbow. Michelle watched as his arm began to transform into a twisted, purple machete. The hair on his arm disappeared and the skin turned into an exoskeleton. She touched it to find that it was hard as diamond, but as she rubbed her hand against it, the sharp edge cut her finger, causing her to flinch back.

"Not to worry," Nathan said, transforming his arm back and pulling down his sleeve. In this time, Michelle's wound had healed as quickly as it had occurred.

"When I had just become... like this, I was shot at, but I dodged the bullet. Everything was in slow motion and I moved in normal speed away from it. We thought I was to be more Chevalier than Queen at that point... But then I woke up and I suddenly reversed roles."

"Well, that isn't unusual. Chiropterans can move at supernatural speeds anyway, but when their lives are in danger their senses become even more aware. Causing time to seem as though it was moving slowly for you was just a defense mechanism to save you."

"But that didn't happen when Saya attacked me. She nearly plowed me through a whole wall and there was no slow motion... well, maybe for a moment as I slammed into it, but then everything was back to normal."

"My guess is that your subconscious didn't believe she was going to end your life. As afraid as you may be of Saya at times, you don't think she would honestly kill you... Like she's tried to kill me," he chuckled.

"Yeah, sorry about that..." Michelle looked away.

"I'm more sorry about your floor."

Michelle shook her head and looked out of the dark window. Lights from other buildings lit up the sky.

"Nathan... can chevaliers sleep?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, there was a time when I had first met Hagi and... he fell asleep in my bed."

"Well then, you have your answer. I, personally, have never found a reason to, unless bored stiff. Chevaliers don't exhaust unless drained of blood. We can consume blood to become stronger but it isn't necessary for survival. My guess is that Hagi slept only because he wanted to, but our sleep isn't like a human's or a Queen's. We can never fall into a deep REM cycle, we only can relax our senses and fall into a dreamlike state where our minds can let us dream to an extent. It can be enjoyable, but that's depending on the chevalier."

All the talking of dreams made Michelle yawn and begin to lose balance on her feet. Nathan caught her by grabbing onto her shoulders and standing her up.

"Sorry," she said, shaking the sleep out of her head.

"No need to apologize, you are a Queen, you need your rest. If you're feeling too sleepy, I'd gladly take you home."

"If it's not too much trouble..."

"Not at all, not as though I have anything else to do tonight. Let's go."


	50. Apprentice section 2 chapter 30

Nathan jumped buildings as he held tightly onto Michelle, who was cradled in his arms. The night sky was refreshing but also chilling.

"I respect public transit, but there really is nothing like gliding through the air," he said as he landed on top of her apartment building.

"I've never seen it from this view before," she admitted as she stared off into the distance.

"And your balcony is right down here."

Nathan quickly jumped across balconies until he found hers and set her down.

"So that's how you always can get into my apartment," she noted.

"Either that or through the hallway window. It's actually really easy to open."

As Michelle went to put the key into the lock, she found that the door had already been unlocked.

"That's strange, I don't remember unlocking this. I haven't been out on here in weeks," she said as she opened the door.

"Better let me go in first," Nathan said protectively, stepping in front of her.

_Who would be in my apartment? Other than-_

"Well hey there, handsome," Nathan said with a giggle. "Long time no see."

"Hagi, what are you doing here?" Michelle demanded, stepping in front of Nathan to see Hagi reading a book on her couch. She also noticed her apartment had been cleaned.

"I was awaiting your safe return," he said, closing the book and standing. "I really appreciate that you keep these here, I don't appreciate technology having replaced paper books."

Hagi was being unusually calm having just seen Nathan and Michelle wasn't buying it.

"Uh... yeah," she said, turning to Nathan. "I really appreciate you taking me home. I'll text you later, okay?"

Nathan smiled and bowed before he quickly made his escape out the balcony.

"Now, what's the real reason you're here?" Michelle demanded.

"You assume I'm lying?" Hagi asked, raising a perfect eyebrow.

"Yes, I do. I assume that very much. I haven't talked to you in a while one-on-one and last I checked you weren't the happiest with me... then the day I hang out with your Queen you suddenly gain an interest in me again. Is it wrong that I assume an alterior motive by this point?"

Hagi appeared hurt, then looked away.

"Gahh- and there I go again! I keep saying things I shouldn't and I..." Michelle exclaimed as she shook her head. Hagi quickly walked over and wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't," he whispered.

She didn't argue. Instead, she nuzzled his neck and breathed in his scent, pulling her arms up to the back of his shoulders and pulling him close. He held her tighter. They stayed for a moment before Michelle had to force herself out of his arms.

"I'm tired. Would you mind if I took a shower and we just laid down and talked instead?" she said.

"Of course not," he said. "I'll be waiting."

With that, they parted ways for the time being.*

*After her shower, Michelle dressed in a black lace nightgown and entered her bedroom where Hagi was awaiting her.

"You can sit down you know," she said as she plopped down on her bed comfortably.

He carefully sat down beside her and transitioned into laying on his side casually. He supported himself on one elbow above Michelle's pillow.

"Do you remember when we used to hang out like this every day?" she asked, blowing on a lock of hair that had fallen into her face when she landed.

"I do," he replied with a faint smile, brushing the hair aside and slightly parting her bangs in the process.

"Have you ever just... wanted to go somewhere? Just go anywhere else in the world? I know we both have traveled before but, it's been so long. Some days I just want to disappear... maybe into the snow of Siberia or the forests of Estonia... somewhere so far away from everyone and everything that I could sing again and no one would hear me..."

"I... used to enjoy Paris. Whenever we had the chance to go, I had a favorite place to be... a street. It was the only place I ever felt simply content just for being there."

"We should go then, Hagi," Michelle said, sitting up. "Let's do it. We could leave tomorrow."

Hagi would've smiled, if he didn't remember his obligations.

"Saya could come with us," she added. "It could be fun."

"Saya has other obligations. She must assist Kai at Omoro."

"Well then, Kai could come with too. Everyone could. Hell, we could even take the twins out of their containment cells and drag them along too," Michelle began laughing at the ridiculous thought and slipped back down to her comfortable pillow. "But that wouldn't work, would it?"

Hagi smiled weakly and shook his head.

Michelle turned her face to look him in the eye. "It was a nice thought though, right?"

Hagi nodded.

"And this is nice... just dreaming with you again, just talking like we used to..."

He then bent down to kiss Michelle gently before gazing into her eyes. "I dream of you," he whispered.

Michelle smiled helplessly and put a hand on his cheek. He caught her hand with his left human hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. For a moment they stayed perfectly still with only tension in the air, but in an instant they were locked in a tight, passionate embrace. Their lips, their bodies, their hands all moving together in perfect sync and not for a moment separated. Michelle quickly pulled off his coat and began unfastening the buttons on his shirt before she became too impatient and with chiropteran strength ripped it open, buttons flying.

"I'll pay for another one," she added between kisses.

By this point he was completely wrapped around her, his arms and his legs on either side of her with his weight distributed evenly as if not to crush her but caressing every inch of her. Neither one of them wanted the moment to end.

_ "But for what it's worth, I think that he honestly _believes_ that he's in love with you."_ Nathan's words rang in Michelle's mind.

"Hagi, we need to stop," she quickly said before things went too far.

His expression looked quickly pained and he quickly went back to his side of the bed. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's just..."

_How am I supposed to explain what Nathan said? He'll be even more hurt if he thinks I don't believe that he loves me..._

"I'm just tired is all, I've had a long day, you know?" She wasn't necessarily lying, but she wasn't telling the full truth either. "I'm sorry about your shirt."

"It isn't a problem," he replied.

"But uh, if you wouldn't mind... would you please stay with me for the night? I just, I just want to know you're here. You can go to Saya as soon as I fall asleep, promise."

Hagi grinned slightly and nodded.

As they settled in, Michelle began humming to herself.

_And will we ever... end up together?... No, I think not. It's never to become, for I am not... the one._


	51. Apprentice section 2 chapter 31

The shimmering light of morning shined through Michelle's bedroom and illuminated the blankets she was tangled in. Beside her laid the man she loved, and in that moment of adoration, she stretched her hand to caress his face. When she moved her arm, she noticed the hair twisted around it was as white as it once was and glowed. She retracted her hand and pulled a lock of hair from the back of her neck in front of her face to see if the rest of it had changed color as well. However, once her focus faded from Hagi, her hair lost its glow and settled back to black. She quickly sat up in bed, realizing that there was no sun shining through her room, but rain streaking down her windows and a gray sky. She looked back to where Hagi laid, but he wasn't there. Only the broken buttons of a missed opportunity.

_I guess I was still dreaming..._

She stretched and unhappily got out of bed. When she made it to her wardrobe, she brushed the knots out of her hair and threw on a simple bej chiffon dress. Loose fit and short, but comfortable, even though her hair hung a foot longer than it. She hummed to herself as she walked through her living room and onto the balcony. The rain felt good on her skin and she breathed slowly.

_He's probably off with Saya... I know it, I know he is. I know I have to share him, but damn it. I __**love**__ him._

She looked over the edge of her balcony and wondered how hard her body would hit the pavement below. She assumed it'd probably scare a lot of people when she got back up. Then she realized that she'd most likely catch herself before landing with a splat. It was in her instincts.

_I can't even die on my own. Is there anything left to my own choice?_

She sighed and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. It was then that she remembered what Nathan had shown her last night. His arm transformed before her eyes, it was incredible. He knew things about chiropterans that Saya's side haven't even realized, and he could give her her life back. She could sing again, and feel alive, not just a living dead inhuman creature. Suddenly, she felt a deep emptiness in herself beyond emotions. It felt as though someone had pulled the plug and life had begun to fade from her body. She was... _thirsty._

_**And there's so many yummy things around you. Look.**_

__Diva's voice echoed in her mind, and her influence forced Michelle to look down on the street so far below her. Innocent, Japanese pedestrians going about their daily lives. As a human, she would have thought nothing of them, but as a chiropteran she began to imagine all of the ways she could steal one, just one, and steal their life for her own.

"No," she breathed. "I'm not a monster like you, Diva. I'd rather die."

_**No, I don't think I will let you,**_ she replied. _**You are part of me, and you are the only body available to me. If you allow yourself ot become weak, I will take over.**_

__As a threat, it sounded hollow, but Michelle knew it wasn't. She knew that she was becoming weaker and weaker as the time went by and if she became weak enough, Diva would take over.

"I..." she looked back down at the street. "I need to see Nathan."**

**Michelle showed up to Nathan's apartment as quickly as she could, but with every step she felt more tired. It wasn't until he had opened the door that she realized she was completely soaked.

"Oh, my," Nathan said as he looked at her. "Come in, come in. I'll grab a towel."

"Thanks," Michelle replied as she walked in. She reached down to unzip her boots when she realized that she wasn't wearing shoes. The trip over to Nathan's was a blur of running and limping, she hadn't even realized she was barefoot. Still, she stood in one place to avoid making the rest of the floor wet.

Nathan quickly returned with a large, fluffy towel and he wrapped it around her shoulders. "You do realize you aren't wearing shoes, right?" he said.

"I... just noticed that," she replied as her strength gave out and she collapsed.

"Oh no you don't," Nathan said as he caught her and in one swift move, picked her up in his arms. In the moment he carried her to the couch, Michelle's vision began to fade in and out, colors swirled in her head. He carefully set her down and looked into her eyes. "You've been depriving yourself of blood, haven't you?"

_**"Yes, she has, Nathan,"**_ said Diva through Michelle's mouth. She was helpless to stop her.

"Oh dear," Nathan shook his head. "How are you handling it in there, Diva?"

_**"Well, the weaker she becomes, the stronger I become,"**_ she laughed. _**"We should keep her like. She's easier to handle."**_

__"Now, Diva, you be nice. She's a friend of mine, and after all, you _are_ dead."

_**"Saya should've died too. It wasn't fair..."**_ after a moment of silence, she asked. _**"How are my babies?"**_

__"They've grown up to be beautiful young girls, and they're currently in their state of hibernation. They look just like you."

_**"I want to see them..."**_

"In due time, my dear Diva, but right now Michelle is going to die if you keep stealing her strength like this. She needs blood."

_**"Well then,"**_ Diva took control of Michelle's body and forced her to sit up and very quickly grabbed hold of Nathan's shoulders. _**"Blood, she shall get."**_

__Michelle wanted to close her eyes as Diva forced her, yet again, to plunge her teeth deeply into the neck of a chevalier, but she couldn't. Diva was in complete control, and she was terrified. The only hope she had was to drink Nathan's blood and become stronger. It's all she could do.


	52. Apprentice section 2 chapter 32

(Merry Christmas 2011 everybody, keep leaving reviews, I love reading them)

The notes drifted through the air as Hagi's bow caressed his cello's strings. He had begun more cello songs on his own and he wished to play them with Michelle, so before he presented them to her, he practiced to perfection.

_Are you still sleeping?_ he wondered as he looked out of the window. The rain was coming down harder, and if not for it, he would've quickly dashed to her apartment on his own. He hated the thought of her waking up alone, but he hated the thought of showing up unwanted even more. _Drenched like a sewer rat. I would surely paint a pathetic picture._

He didn't stop playing as he heard footsteps behind him, he only closed his eyes and tried to disappear into his song.

"Hey, that's a new song," Kai said. "I've heard the same song for so many years now, I forgot that you were a real musician. Seems like you just redid it over and over again from memory."

"I did," Hagi replied. "But it was never good enough. I am able to read sheet music on my own."

"Good enough? You were beyond that, Hagi. You really don't hear yourself like everybody else does. I mean sure, after a while you can be a little on the annoying side, but you really are talented. Hell, I can't name anybody I know off of the top of my head who can play anywhere near as good as you."

"You are too kind, Kai."

"I'm only speaking the truth."

The side of Hagi's mouth twitched, almost as though he was going to smile from pride but he wouldn't let himself. Suddenly, he heard other footsteps behind him.

"Good morning, Saya," Kai said. "Or should I say, good afternoon."

"I've actually been up a couple of hours. I figured you wouldn't mind, since Omoro is closed today. I spent some time reading."

Hagi quickly stopped playing to stand and greet Saya, but she waved him away. "No need, Hagi, I really like hearing you play. I just am going to grab some food and get back to reading. Nothing like a rainy day to just relax."

With that, Hagi sat back down and continued playing. Saya picked some food out of the fridge and headed back down the hall. Kai had begun putting his rain coat and shoes on.

"I'm going to go shopping for some things. Do you need anything?" Kai asked.

"No thank you," Hagi replied.

Kai shrugged and headed off into the rain, closing the door was a tight slam behind him. Hagi then realized how dark the room was without any of the inside lights on. Only the outside gloom illuminated it. He continued playing for several minutes until he heard a loud slam and a gust of wind behind him. Quickly, he turned to see if Kai had forgotten something when he didn't find Kai.

_**"Hello, Hagi. Long time, no bite."**_

__"Michelle?" Hagi's eyes widened and he stood to face her. He quickly set his cello aside and began to walk towards her. "Is that you?"

_**"Kind of. It's her body, after all..."**_

Hagi then recognized the voice coming from Michelle's soaked body. As she spoke, blood trailed from the corners of her mouth, down her chin and onto her bej, chiffon dress, that was also clinging to her body.

"How dare you," Hagi closed the space between them and grabbed a hold of Michelle's wrists tightly. "How dare you come back..."

_**"You are a rude chevalier, but you are kind of cute."**_ Diva began laughing, showing her bloodstained teeth. _**"Hagi, I want something of you."**_

__Hagi didn't bother to ask, and in that split-second, Diva released her wrists from his grip and shoved him back hard enough to knock him off of his feet and into the chair he had been sitting at. Before he could stand, she was on top of him, her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms draped over his shoulders. In any other situation, he would've been ecstatic by Michelle's advances, but he was furious that Diva was using her body as a sexual device to keep him weak.

"You monster," he hissed, trying to keep his mind clear and his breathing even. He couldn't let her know his desire.

_**"Ha, that's what your mouth says," **_Diva giggled, twisting a lock of his hair in her fingertips. _**"Are you going to listen to me, or am I going to force you?"**_

__Just as quickly as Diva controlled Michelle's body to close in on the space between them, Hagi spoke. "I will, if you get off of me."

Diva quickly paused her embrace and rolled her glowing blue eyes. _**"You are a terrible liar. I can feel every pulse in you, you want me, yet you refuse me. I don't get it, but I suppose I'll be fair..." **_and with that, Diva climbed from his aching lap and stood before him. _**"Hagi... I want you to listen to me sing."**_**

**Nathan's head was spinning from blood loss as he picked himself up off of the floor. He looked around desparately to find his window wide open. She had escaped.

"Oh no, Diva was still in control. What on earth will happen now?"


	53. Apprentice section 2 chapter 33

Hagi stared at Diva with a puzzled expression as he attempted to figure out her alterior motive. _Listen to her sing? That must mean something else, but I don't know how to respond. I know that she won't relinquish her control on Michelle unless I go along with it. Damn her._

_**"Come,"**_ Diva said softly as she took Hagi's hand in hers. Her mood had suddenly changed from menacing to welcoming and a look in her eyes bewitched his body and he stood to attention. _**"We must leave before my sister becomes jealous."**_

Hagi furrowed his brow in a glare for a moment, but he knew the only way to save Michelle safely was to not fight it. He followed Diva's lead out into the cold rain and in an instant, they were flying overtop buildings.**

**Nathan had been following a trail of blood drops from his apartment, but after a couple of blocks the trail had been washed away by the rain. He reached his mind as far as it would stretch and still found no hint of her.

_Damn it, Diva. You can't destroy the town in Michelle's body._

He then suddenly caught the glimpse of two ant-sized people hopping overtop buildings in the rain along the skyline. He focused in and realized it was Hagi and Michelle... and they were coming close. He then realized they were heading for his apartment and with chiropteran speed as fast as theirs, he headed back.**

**Hagi didn't know where they were headed, but by this point he was just as soaked as Michelle's body had been when she arrived at Omoro. He wondered if Saya would become concerned about his leaving, of if she was perhaps following them.

Suddenly, Diva cocked her head over to smile coldly at Hagi and they stopped. "Follow me," she whispered and then quickly disappeared over the side of the building. Hagi heard a large smash and looked over the edge of the building to see glass crash to the ground. Without question, he followed into the broken in window.

"Well hey there, handsome," Nathan said smoothly as Hagi climbed into the window. "You know, you could've just knocked."

_**"This was more fun,"**_ Diva replied as she crossed the room.

"Ah, Diva, that wasn't very nice of you to steal my blood and run off like that."

Relief washed over Hagi as he realized that it had only been Nathan's blood in her mouth. No human was injured.

_**"If I didn't act fast, she'd take control again. Nathan, I need you to accompany me. I wish to sing for Hagi."**_

__Suddenly, Hagi realized that Diva feared Michelle taking back control of her body again and knew that she was weak. Maybe that's why she wasn't going too far.

"Of course," Nathan said and he swiftly walked over to the piano. Diva stood to the side and smiled at Hagi. He was her only audience. "But after this, you must promise that you will let go."

_**"I promise,"**_ Diva replied with a smirk.

Nathan then began the aria on the piano and within a couple of measures, Diva joined. However, when she sang, it wasn't Diva's voice, but Michelle's.

Hagi's eyes widened and he felt his heart drop as he heard Michelle sing the saddest aria he'd ever heard, and suddenly the room began to spin around him. In an instant, he was gone.


	54. Apprentice section 2 chapter 34

_ When Hagi opened his eyes, he found himself laying in a meadow. He picked himself up to realize that he'd never seen this place in his life, and the colors were impossible to be real. The high grass that waved in the breeze stretched for miles and circled around a clear, blue pond. Intertwined in the grass was a combination of blue and red roses, and they were the most beautiful roses he'd ever seen._

_ He began walking towards the pond and slowly, the scenery began to change. It was no longer a meadow, but the edge of a cliff. He stopped walking when he realized that the pond had changed to rapid ocean tide far below. The gentle breeze was now a painful gust, stinging his ears._

Where am I? _he wondered as the gust untied his hair and blew his navy blue ribbon out to sea._

_**"Oh, Hagi..."**_

___Hagi quickly turned to find Diva standing behind him, in her own body. Before he could respond, she dove at him and pushed him back. He fell hard, and with Diva still clinging to his chest he couldn't move. His wings wouldn't release. As they slammed into the ocean, Diva's appearance had changed from a still doll to a monsterous chiropteran. Her hands became claws and tore at his chest, almost tearing into his heart. He couldn't move._

_ "Stop!" he shouted, but only bubbles and a muffled sound made its way anywhere near her. She smiled at his suffering and continued to dig into him._

_ Suddenly, as if an angel above had heard him, the clouds parted and sunlight shined down on him. At the moment the sunlight touched her, Diva disappeared into a cloud of smoke and washed away with the waves. With his wounds still open and bleeding, Hagi felt himself completely vulnerable and broken._

_ "Grab my hand," a voice from the surface said, causing him to look up as a pale white hand with familiar long fingers broke through the water's surface. Hagi reached desparately and with his claw, took her hand. Unfamiliar strength pulled him from under the water and when his vision had cleared, he saw shimmering white hair._

_ "Michelle," he whispered._

_ She smiled in return and touched his cheek. He was no longer in the ocean, but on a pure white beach. The wind had returned to a comfortable breeze and the sunlight protected him from the darkness that had tore into his chest. He then looked down at his chest to find no wounds, and his long, tailed coat was gone, revealing his white shirt with torn buttons._

_ "Where am I?" he asked._

_ "You're inside of my mind," she replied, her voice clear and angelic._

_ "How? Diva was- you were singing," he opened his eyes wide and he shook his head. "Where am I?"_

_ "Come with me," Michelle said, taking his hand._

_ As they began walking across the beach, Hagi felt an unusual warmth between them. It was almost as if the girl he loved had come back from all of those years ago. It was just them._

_ "This is where I have been residing for quite some time," Michelle began. "As I slept, I felt as if someone else was coming into my world. It was Diva. However, it wasn't the Diva that you know. She was very sad, the saddest person I'd ever come to know. When I awoke, I was not called to attention. Michelle continued to exist, but I, MdivaC, have been trapped inside. Every time I made an attempt to come into power of my own body, Diva came out instead. She is much stronger than me..."_

_ As she spoke, the world had begun to change again and coming up ahead of their path was a field of snow. When their feet touched the snow, it wasn't cold. Hagi looked back to the beach, but found only blankets of snow covering a country field, as if the beach never existed._

_ "Michelle has no knowledge of Diva, she only exists in her physical body. When she sleeps and dreams, she and I become one, but when she wakes she forgets that I exist. She has been in horrible distress since she and I have been separated during the hibernation. I am her spirit, she is only a soul and body."_

_ "You can never come back?" Hagi asked._

_ "I am her voice, her reason for being. She is no longer MdivaC, therefore I only exist in the recess of her mind of what used to be. I don't know if I will ever come back, but I do know that Diva has a greater chance to take over completely than I do. She and I agree on many things, which is why we are in the same field of her subconscious awaiting the chance to take control. However, you can clearly see that we are not similar in other ways..."_

_ Snow began to blow through the plains and with the snow came blue rose petals._

_ "In a way, you could say that I am the only humanity she has left inside of her. When she became a chiropteran, she lost her spirit in exchange for immortality, however I continue to exist. Diva is a ghost, a very different being from myself, and that is why she can be declared as evil. I am pure, and when Michelle is dead I will leave this body. However, in the meantime, I am forced to exist only here. Her being immortal most likely means that I will either disappear with age, or I will continue to be prisoner to her until the day comes where someone is able to destroy her."_

_ Without control, tears swelled in Hagi's eyes as he realized the truth of what he had done. "She is only like this because of me," he realized._

_ "I realize that you blame yourself, Hagi, but she chose this path for herself. She loves you, more than anyone could understand. She realized that she had given up herself to live forever with you and this is the life she wants... But, now it's time to go."_

_ "Go?"_

_ Suddenly, Hagi heard MdivaC singing in the distance and her image before him disappeared. The whole world around him began to fade _and before he knew it, he was back in Nathan's apartment.

"Hagi?"

His eyes came into focus and he saw Nathan standing before him. He searched desparately and found Michelle laying helplessly in front of the piano. Her hair and clothes had dried, making him wonder how long he had been gone.

"I understand now," he breathed.

"I had a feeling you might," Nathan replied, walking over to Michelle. He carefully picked her up and brought her over to Hagi, who caught her. "Take her home."

Hagi nodded, stood up from the couch he had been laying on and disappeared.


	55. Dear Fanfic Readers chapter 35

Hello, readers. I know, it's been quite some time since I've updated this fanfiction of mine. I apologize for the delay, but I officially WILL be continuing and finishing this story in the near future. With college, work and everything else thrown into the mix, I haven't gotten a chance to even check in a while. I know that you guys love this story (and I mean, what's not to love?) so I'm sorry for the hiatus. Thank you, and check back soon~


	56. Apprentice section 2 chapter 36

When Michelle awoke, she was dressed in a plain white dress and laid atop her bed. The canopy was closed, but through the black mesh fabric, she could see the lit up skyline against a dark sky. She wasn't sure how long she had been out, or entirely what had happened prior, but flashbacks occurred almost instantly when she saw familiar blue eyes pierce the room.

"Hagi?" she asked, disoriented, before coming to attention. "Hagi, I—"

Before she could continue, she was cut off by his human hand covering her mouth. "It's okay," he whispered softly before sitting beside her to cradle her in his arms. "I understand now."

Her mind immediately went to a scene where she was walking through a meadow with him. _Did that actually happen?_ She wondered.

"What happened?" she asked.

He looked at her confused for a moment before speaking. "Oh," he shook his head. "Of course you wouldn't remember…"

She looked around her room until her gaze caught a blood-soaked dress across the room. The image of herself drenched in Nathan's blood flooded her mind.

"Nathan! I hurt Nathan," she gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth in horror. "No, no, it wasn't me… It was…"

"Diva," he cut her off.

"She really does still exist…" Michelle said, defeated. "And she used me to hurt Nathan."

"Yes," Hagi said gravely.

"But, I was singing… For the first time in a long time, I was singing. I felt… Free."

"Michelle," Hagi began. "You are not free. So long as you are possessed by this demon, you will be its slave and prisoner. I vow to you, I will do everything in my power to save you."

They sat for a moment in a tense silence before Michelle reached for his trembling hand. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Hagi closed his eyes and pressed his cheek to her temple before kissing it. She was apologizing, yet he felt as though he was the one who had so much to feel guilt and sorrow over. No words could express his pain, so he held her. He wished he could kiss the curse away, to take that onto himself but the truth is, he was in the same boat as her. Cursed with immortality, forced to walk the earth whether they wished to or not until someone would take their pain away. But still, they had each other and they loved each other. That's all that mattered.

"We'll get through this," she whispered. Only then did she feel cool tears touch her skin, and they weren't her own.


	57. Apprentice section 2 chapter 37

Saya awoke with displeasure when she realized Hagi still wasn't there. She climbed out of bed and opened the curtains. The sun was shining brilliantly, but she felt sick to her stomach.

_He's with her… _ The idea filled her with jealousy and betrayal, not only towards him, but towards her too. _How could she? I thought we were becoming friends…_

She shook her head in anger and closed the curtains furiously before plopping back into bed. She laid there for several minutes, going back over the past day in her mind. Hagi had been gone for at least 23 hours now, without a word to her.

_How could he just leave without even telling me? Yes, I know, he has freedom, but it still would've been nice. I wouldn't have even minded if he told me his plans… Well, I suppose, depending on what they were, I might've. But still, give me a little credit, I wouldn't have been jealous._

She curled up into an even tighter ball, pressing her pillow harder against her quivering lip.

"Who am I kidding?" she whispered, her voice thick with tears. "I love him. I always have… But now, it seems as though I may as well not even exist in his life. I used to be all he had—of course he would've chosen to stay by my side—but now he has her. Who am I to fight _true_ love? She's perfect for him and I'm… Not."

She found the tears she had been trying so desperately to hold in spilling out over her cheeks as her breathing became hard. Such a whirlwind of emotions had hit her all at once with her realization. _I love him.**_

**Hagi wiped a tear from Michelle's sleeping eyes. It was already so late in the morning, but she was showing no signs of waking. She barely showed signs of living.

_She's been through so much, all because of me…_ He thought to himself. _If something happens to her, I won't forgive myself. How could I?_

He closed his eyes and walked over to the window. The sunlight was shining through a crack in her heavily draped windows, causing a thin ray of light to shine against his skin. He saw the light, but he felt no warmth.

"How could I have let this happen?"

"Don't beat yourself up, handsome."

Hagi quickly turned around to see Nathan standing in the doorway. He leaned against the door frame in a regal pose, wearing one of his tailored suits as usual.

"She chose you. I don't know if you're familiar with a teenage girl's heart, but when they decide to do something or devote themselves to something, they don't let up on it very easily. In her case, it became quite permanent," Nathan said, leaning over to brush a dark hair from Michelle's face.

"That day keeps replaying in my mind," Hagi said softly. "The day we met."

Nathan smiled slyly for a moment before speaking, "It's clear as to why she chose you, but I've always been curious as to why you chose her? She's just a human, a girl like millions other out there. You're a Chevalier, devoted to your Queen and nothing else."

Hagi stood stoic for a moment before speaking. "She reminded me… Of a friend."

Nathan's eyebrow rose. "I wasn't aware that you had any friends."

"Saya… She tried to save her. Irene had tried to kill her on several occasions, but from the good of her heart, Saya decided to try to save her… When I saw Michelle's pale blonde hair and milky white skin, it reminded me of Irene. I thought that maybe…"

"Maybe you could've made atonement for something Saya failed at?" Nathan asked.

"Yes."

"But you do realize that she isn't anything like this Irene. Michelle is a very unique individual, unlike well, any other woman I've ever known."

"Yes, I know. Her dark clothes, light hair and pale skin had drawn me in, but quickly I realized that she wasn't the same person. That is when I fell in love with her."

Nathan rolled his eyes, walked over to a velvet Victorian chair beside the wardrobe and plopped down. "Love, that's a very strong word, is it not?"

Hagi quickly stiffened, clearly offended by Nathan's implications.

"Don't give me that face," Nathan said. "I'm on your side, after all. I only wonder how possible it is for a Chevalier to fall in love with anyone else but the opposite Queen that he serves."

Hagi didn't respond with words, but his body language spoke volumes of his fury.

"Oh, I see I've upset you," Nathan stood to his feet. "Don't be like that, Hagi. You're my only Chevalier brother by this point—well, more like distant cousin. Regardless, I wish to help you and your chiropteran family by any means that I can."

"Leave."

Without another word, Nathan retracted back through the door he had entered and was gone, but his words stayed with Hagi much longer.


	58. Apprentice section 2 chapter 38

It was afternoon by the time Michelle had awoken. Hagi was readily there, holding a soft, cotton robe for her to wrap herself in as she stood to her feet. In her disoriented haze, she made her way to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Hagi listened closely to make sure he didn't hear her collapse, but retracted when he heard the shower on full blast behind the door. He sighed with relief.

She undressed carefully, allowing the nightgown and robe Hagi had dressed her in to slip to the floor around her feet. Walking into the shower, she felt the hard pressure of the massage setting melting into her skin and she allowed her long black hair to become soaked and cling to her curves. The heat of the water and the steam in the room allowed her to relax. She closed her eyes, inhaled and then exhaled slowly.

_What am I becoming?_

The pound of the water against the shower floor was the only sound she heard for several minutes until a familiar Bach Suite played softly outside of the door. Her eyes opened and with them, she opened the shower door. The water continued to spray the empty space where her body had been in a hollow drone as she reached out and touched the bathroom door. Pressing herself against the door, she slid to the floor and listened.

As she listened to the familiar notes, memories passed through her mind. She saw herself with glowing white hair in the sunlight; she felt the familiar strings of her beloved cello beneath her fingertips. Beside her, Hagi watched carefully as she played. He memorized her every movement, every breath she took and every perfected note. He praised her; they packed up their instruments and headed off into the sunset.

_Why can't we go back to that?_

She stood up, turned off the shower and pulled her cotton robe back on. When she returned to her bedroom, Hagi sat on the edge of her bed, holding his cello between his knees and played softly. His coat was laid across her Victorian chair and his white blouse was exposed. He had let his soft waves relax and lay atop his shoulders. Everything about him was so beautiful in her eyes.

As carefully as she could not to disturb him, Michelle climbed onto the edge of her bed beside him and gazed at his deeply in thought expression. Her exposed legs rubbed against his dress pants and she rested her forehead onto his shoulder, breathing him in and sighing ever so lightly.

Once the song was over, he laid his cello down carefully in front of the bed and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I've been thinking about the day we met," he whispered.

"Funny," she replied. "I've been thinking about the days that followed…"

"Will you come with me?" he asked.

"Where to?"

"Our spot, and take Fred," he pointed to her cello coffin case.

She smiled sweetly and replied, "Only if you'll tie back my hair for me."


	59. Apprentice section 2 chapter 39

"Saya, will you do me a favor?" Kai asked.

Saya had just finished cleaning another table with enough frustration and chiropteran force that her hand could've punched right through it. They hadn't had a single customer in all day but she had been cleaning non-stop, an obvious attempt to conceal her true feelings and discomfort about Hagi not being there.

"Yeah, Kai?" she asked, almost frantic in her response as she stood up straight.

"At ease," he replied, waving his hand for her to relax. "I was just wondering if you would stop by the grocery store for me. We're all out of seaweed wraps."

She gasped and her eyes became wide. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I had no idea—I should've stocked that. I'm sorry, Kai…"

"It's okay, Saya, really. It isn't your job to do my job. It just slipped my mind. I'd go myself but I'd have to close up the pub and I figured since you didn't have anything else to do—"

Before Kai could finish, Saya had grabbed her purse and run out the door, slamming it behind her.

_Can't I do anything right?_ **

**Michelle ran excitedly with her coffin on her back when they had made it to their hill. The sun brightly illuminated the field and the Okinawa tropical breeze flowed through, rustling the trees and causing wave-like ripples in the grass. When she made it to the top, she dropped her case to the ground and sat against it, stretching her arms above her head like a cat and leaning back. Hagi was not too far behind her, admiring her beauty in the sun. He had forgotten how her pale skin glistened like new porcelain and though her hair was inverted, it shined in its dark beauty. She turned and smiled to him over her shoulder.

To her, he was the most beautiful of the scenery around her. His patent black hair shined in the sunlight and his pale turquoise eyes squinted with his faint smile. He had left his coat behind at her apartment as well as left his hair down. He plopped his cello case down beside hers and sat beside her.

"We used to spend every day like this," she said, smiling.

"Yes," he replied, wrapping his arm around her.

They sat there for a moment, her head resting on his shoulder and his arm wrapped protectively around her waist, and in that moment they felt truly happy.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, pushing her way out of his grip. He looked at her confused until she pulled a black ribbon out of the pocket on her cello case. "You promised," she smiled.

"I did," he replied, smiling right back.

She turned her back to him and allowed him to run his fingers through her long, dark hair. Times had changed and years had passed, but the familiarity and comfort he brought to her was still the same. She closed her eyes and allowed the nostalgia to take over her senses.

"Finished," he said, causing her eyes to open.

"Thank you," she replied, turning back to face him. She gazed into his eyes for a moment before she allowed herself to close the space between them. Their lips brushed gently against one another's before he passionately returned her kiss, wrapping his arms around her tightly and pressing his lips into hers. When they broke apart, they looked into each other's eyes for another moment before returning their lips. Passion enveloped them, but it wasn't long before they remembered where they were.

Michelle giggled as Hagi blushed, looking around for anyone watching. Though they both knew there was nothing unusual about their appearance together, they still had a sense of shyness to their romance. When the coast was clear, Hagi laid back against the cello case, allowing his legs to stretch out in front of him and Michelle comfortably fit into his side, laying her head against his chest.

"I love you," she whispered.

"And I, you," he replied, rubbing her shoulder with his human fingertips.

"Can we stay like this forever?" she asked.

"If that is what you wish."

"But, is it what _you_ wish?"

Hagi looked down into her big blue eyes before replying, "Yes."

She sighed. "But I'm not like Saya. I'm going to fall asleep again soon, and I'll leave you…"

An expression of pure sadness came over him and he stiffened, realizing the truth of her words. "No matter what, Michelle, I will be by your side. I have made my decision. I am yours and you are the one I will spend eternity with."

Michelle's eyes widened, "Hagi, you aren't saying—"

"I am," he sat up; she mimicked his movement, her eyes retaining their shocked expression. "Michelle…"

"Yes?"

"Will you spend the rest of our existences together? Will you—will you marry me?"

She gasped, and with a tears rolling down her smiling cheeks, she replied, "Yes."

He closed the space between them by kissing her passionately as they stood to their feet. Her knees were weak and so he picked her up and spun her around, they both laughed and smiled before kissing again and again. Before they realized it, their kisses of innocence had turned to passion and their breaths against one another had become hisses of steam.

"Come with me," Michelle whispered suggestively, taking his hand.

"But, weren't we going to play?" Hagi replied with a smile.

"I have… something better in mind."

"Oh?" he pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her and digging his hands into her skin feverishly.

"You'll just have to find out," she replied, sticking her tongue out at him and escaping his arms to grab her cello case. "Come on."

He shrugged his shoulders with a grin, picked up his case and followed her down the hill. He was stopped in his tracks when he sensed a familiar presence nearby.

"So, this is what you've chosen?"

He turned to see Saya standing behind a tree. She had been there watching, and from the tears staining her face, she was deeply hurt.

"Saya," he whispered.

Michelle gasped, holding a hand to her face.

"I get it, you love her, she's just like you," Saya sniffed, rubbing the back of her hand against her cheeks. "But don't you understand… _I_ love you."

Hagi felt a pain stab into his abdomen, stronger than any pain he had ever felt in a physical battle. His queen—his blood—was shedding tears in emotional agony… because of him.


	60. Apprentice section 2 chapter 40

"Michelle, would you give us a moment?" Hagi asked.

"Of course," she whispered, stepping back carefully. "I'm so sorry…"

When she was gone, Saya collapsed to the ground in tears. Hagi went to assist her.

"NO!" she screamed, digging her nails into the ground. "Leave me alone."

Hagi quickly stopped in his tracks, but bowed down on one knee in front of her. "Please understand," he pleaded. "I do not love you any less, my Queen. You were my first friend, my only friend for over a century. I was faithful to you through it all until you completed your goal as I promised… Saya, I am responsible for her immortality. If I hadn't chosen her—no, if I hadn't fallen in love with her… so helplessly in love with her… she would still be in human flesh. She would be old now; she would be living with her family with a husband and children. She wouldn't have to hide her existence as an undead immortal, she would have her life. I understand that I hurt you, but she is my responsibility and if it means I have to forsake everything I've come to know in order to take care of her, so be it."

"Why?" Saya looked up, her brows furrowed in a twisted expression of pure pain. "Why did you have to fall in love with her? Why weren't you happy with me?"

"I had a duty to you, Saya, I wasn't _allowed_ to love you and you didn't wish for my affections to be reciprocated. I lived this way, cold and untouched for over a hundred years. When I met Michelle, I had no duty to her. I had no obligation to follow her, but I did. She was similar to me, warm and inviting…"

"But I _love you_," Saya blurted. "I always have… I know I was cold in the past—I know I made bad choices, I know I hurt you… Is it all too late? Is it too late to apologize?" Her speech became whimpers of hopelessness.

"It is never too late to apologize, Saya, but it is too late to take back what I did to her life. I am always going to be _your_ chevalier, but from now on, I am _her_ love and soon to be husband. For better or worse, I choose to love her. I'm sorry."

"So am I," Saya whispered. "I am… so, so sorry."

"Saya," Hagi said, reaching a hand out to her.

"Leave me," she hissed, shrugging against his touch.

"If that is what you wish. Goodbye, Saya."

Before she could take back her words, Hagi was gone and nothing remained but a harsh breeze against her aching heart. Never before had Saya been full of such unbearable regret. She had made horrible choices, acted terribly towards humanity as well as her own kind in a desperate attempt to figure out who she was, but she only now realized that the whole while she had been hurting the man she loved the most. She treated him as her inferior slave when she should've been treating him with the love and affection he had always given her. She refused him on several occasions and hurt him more times than she could count.

_Of course he would love her,_ she thought. _I'm horrible; I'm such a horrible person._

"Beating yourself up, I see?"

Saya quickly looked up to see Nathan standing in front of her.

"Shut up," she hissed, standing to her feet.

"Don't be like that, hun, but I must say, you did deserve this."

"Go away," Saya growled, storming her way down the hill. The skies were now turning gray.

"I mean after all, _you_ did reject my dear brother Solomon after he defied his Queen to be with you. Now you are being rejected by your own chevalier so that he can be with another Queen. You had this coming, especially with the way you treated him."

"I said—LEAVE," Saya screamed, sending a wave of chiropteran energy in his direction. Nathan quickly deflected it and allowed it to tear into the hill.

"Hey, I'm not here to kick you while you're down, but it was pretty inevitable. I'm sorry that things had to turn out this way but maybe you learned a lesson to not be such a bitch. Anyway, you are still a chiropteran Queen and you still have the opportunity to create as many Chevaliers as you want. No one can stop you."

She shook her head. "No, I don't want to. I didn't even mean to make Hagi one, it was an accident. I would never force that burden on anyone purposefully."

"But, what if you did?"

"Then they would be my responsibility and I would have to protect them for as long as I lived. I couldn't handle that amount of guilt."

"Don't you think that maybe that's the way Hagi feels about Michelle?"

Saya's brows furrowed.

"He loves her, or at least he believes he does, but more than that, he feels obligated to protect her. Michelle has been going through a lot of, er, changes lately. Things I can't entirely explain to you, but they threaten her life—her existence—her control over her own body and life. It's become increasingly apparent to Hagi that it's his fault that all of these things are happening to her and are his fault and he's finally taking responsibility for it. There are some things that only Hagi can save her from. His place in her life is crucial to her humanity remaining intact."

"What do you mean?"

"Like I said, it isn't my place to tell you, but trust me when I tell you this: she needs him and her life very well depends on him, so don't be so selfish. If you tell him to leave you, he won't come back, but if you tell him that you still want him in your life and he will remain. Things won't be the same, but they haven't been since you woke up. At least he'll still be here."

Saya paused for a long moment before replying. "You may be right, but it still hurts."

"Welcome to his life for the past century."

She bit her lip. "I need to make things right."


	61. Announcement

Hey guys, this is Michelle. I know I haven't updated Apprentice in a while and I know you are all dying to read more, trust me. I'd love to have a minute free to be able to write. However, I've been having serious financial problems lately and it's been seriously getting in the way of me getting anything written for you guys. To try to help with my problems, I've taken up selling some of my paintings. If you guys want to help support me, go to shop/artMdivaC I also have a FB page created just for this too artMdivaC if you guys would like to be kept up-to-date. Keep in mind, I also do commissions. I'd greatly appreciate any help you guys can offer, and I promise I will try to get a chance to keep writing for you all. Your reviews make my day! Thanks.


End file.
